The Los Angeles Clippers have played the last week and a half without sharpshooting guard Norman Powell, but it appears a return is on the horizon as the team prepares to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota is the final game of a four-game road trip for the Clippers, who took on the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, and Washington Wizards on this trip.
Norman Powell gets positive injury update for Timberwolves game
Ahead of Friday’s game against the Wolves, the Clippers have listed Norman Powell as questionable with a left hamstring strain.
Powell suffered a hamstring strain on the Clippers’ November 18th contest against the Golden State Warriors. He left in the first quarter, but was able to return in the first half and closed out the game with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting in 25 minutes and 43 seconds of play.
Since that game, however, Powell has missed five straight contests as the Clippers play it safe with his hamstring strain.
After he initially suffered the injury, Powell told ClutchPoints he wasn’t overly concerned with the injury and mentioned that he was already feeling better. A hamstring strain, however, is a tricky injury to navigate through due to the high risk of re-aggravation is a player returns too early.
Powell was upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Wizards, but ultimately did not play as the team continued to play it safe. He does, however, appear closer to a return given the questionable tag for the second consecutive game.
In 15 games this season, Norman Powell is averaging career-highs across the board with 23.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.9 three-pointers per game on 49 percent shooting from the field and 48.7 percent from beyond the arc.
James Harden was asked about Powell’s career-year and what’s behind it. For Harden, it was simple.
“Opportunity,” Harden said. “Norm has always been a great scorer in this league, but he has more opportunities and quite frankly, he looks good doing it.”
Harden added that, despite the Clippers desperate need for his scoring, he urged Powell not to rush back from the hamstring injury.
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“That hamstring ain’t no joke,” Harden explained. “I don’t think it’s that serious, but I’ve been through it and I kind of told him, ‘I’ll hold the fort down until you’re 100 percent ready because that’s important and we’re going to need you throughout the course of this long season.’
“Hopefully either Friday or one of these days when we get home, he can come back and be ready to go. But he’s ultra confident. We know what we’re trying to build, we know who the ball needs to get to, and that’s the great feeling about this team.”
The Clippers return home after the Timberwolves game for a four-game homestand against the Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets. The homestand will also include a three-day break, which is much-needed given the Clippers played all of November without more than a day between games.
At the time of his injury, Powell accumulated 11 games of at least 20 points, which was tied for 8th in the NBA and trailed only Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, De’Aaron Fox, Cade Cunningham, and Anthony Davis.
Friday’s Clippers-Timberwolves game in an NBA Cup game, and will tip off at 4:30PM PST.
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