Foot injury sidelines Clippers’ Norman Powell indefinitely
A fractured bone in Norman Powell’s left foot will sideline the new Clippers guard indefinitely, the team announced Sunday.
Powell fractured the medial sesamoid bone in his left foot during last Thursday’s loss in Dallas, according to the team, which said that his treatment does not require surgery at this time.
“I was dealing with a lot of pain, but you know, I was trying to put that to the side,” Powell said after game, which he left at one point before returning to finish. “Focus on trying to get a win. But it was definitely — I was definitely hurting out there.”
Powell was only three games into his career with the Clippers after being acquired in a trade with Portland on Feb. 4 along with forward Robert Covington. President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said the team “never thought it was realistic” to trade for a player of Powell’s skillset in his prime and jumped at the chance to add a wing the Clippers view as an ideal complementary piece to play alongside stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
In his first three games Powell had fit that bill, averaging 21 points and four assists while making 50% of his shots inside the arc, nearly 43% beyond it and averaging 6.7 free throws.
But now, just like George and Leonard, Powell’s timetable to return from injury is unclear.
The Clippers picked up a 99-97 victory in Dallas on Saturday night despite Mavericks star Luka Doncic scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter.
The ripple effect of Powell’s injury could lead Clippers coach Tyronn Lue to start third-year wing Terance Mann in his place, as he did for Saturday’s victory in Dallas as Powell watched in street clothes.
It is the second time in a matter of days that a Clippers guard’s season has been halted by the injury colloquially known as turf toe. Jay Scrubb, a second-year player on a two-way contract, underwent surgery Wednesday in New York and will miss the remainder of the season.
Guard Luke Kennard has been listed as questionable to play Monday against Golden State after injuring his left ankle Saturday in Dallas.
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