Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George said Wednesday he wasn't concerned about the blockbuster four-team trade sending James Harden from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets.

"It ain't got nothing to do with us," George told reporters after the Clippers' 111-106 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

George is right from the perspective that the trade won't have a major direct impact on the Clippers unless both L.A. and Brooklyn reach the NBA Finals.

Three of the four teams in the trade, the Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers, are in the Eastern Conference, and Harden—the best player in the swap—is leaving the Western Conference, so that's a net positive for the Clippers in the short term.

Houston was expected to rank among the contenders in the West, but it got off to a sluggish 3-6 start with the Harden drama hovering over the franchise since he showed up late for training camp.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are 8-4 so far but have continued a trend of struggling to maintain big leads that started during last year's playoffs. Most recently, they blew a 22-point second-half advantage in a 115-105 loss to the Golden State Warriors last Friday.

"We just have to change, pretty much," George's star teammate Kawhi Leonard told reporters after that game. "We've got to change it. We've got to get better."

Los Angeles bounced back with wins over the Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans since that loss.

The Clippers have the talent to seriously contend for the NBA championship this season, and the Nets' acquisition of Harden vaults them to the forefront of the title discussion as he joins Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, assuming the latter eventually returns after being away from the team for personal reasons.

L.A. and Brooklyn will face off twice in February, at the Barclays Center on Feb. 2 and at the Staples Center on Feb. 21, and those games will now carry some extra intrigue.

Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard urged "change" after the team blew a 22-point lead in the second half of Friday's 115-105 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

"We just have to change, pretty much," Leonard told reporters. "We've got to change it. We've got to get better."

He pointed toward better execution at the defensive end of the floor as a starting point.

"Our third quarter was terrible as far as defense," Leonard said. "Them able to get easy looks, coming down just laying up the ball with no one there. Steph Curry did a few times. In that third quarter, just guys coming down and getting either open looks or just walking to the basket and laying up the ball."

The loss dropped L.A.'s record to 6-4 and continued a troublesome trend of poor play in the second half that dates back to last season's playoff collapse against the Denver Nuggets. The Clips led the Western Conference semifinals series 3-1 before losing three straight games to get eliminated.

It's a trend that's continued during the early stages of the 2020-21 campaign. The Clippers nearly blew a 31-point lead against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday before holding on to win by five.

Neither Leonard nor teammate Paul George wanted to discuss whether the team had a meeting following Friday's loss to the Warriors.

"We just want to—just be great as a unit, just demand greatness out of everybody," George told reporters. "We got to be better. All of us included. This was a team loss, more than anything. We just got to get better. We'll work on it."

Leonard added: "I'm not about to tell you what we're doing in the locker room. It's locker-room talk."

The Clippers are facing a lot of pressure after last season's shocking playoff departure. Leonard and George were brought in for the sole purpose of chasing titles. Getting eliminated in the second round and watching the rival Los Angeles Lakers go on to win the title wasn't the finish the front office envisioned.

Talent isn't an issue. Leonard and George are part of a veteran-filled rotation that can go 10 deep.

Finding a way to maintain the same levels of offensive efficiency and defensive intensity after building a big lead is clearly still a work in progress, though.

"We just gotta dig deep," George said. "That's what it comes down to: We just gotta dig deep as a group and just rely on our team defense to help each other."

The Clippers return to action Sunday when they welcome the Chicago Bulls (4-6) to Staples Center.

Los Angeles Clippers All-Star Paul George said he would have supported a decision to cancel all NBA games Wednesday after a pro-Trump mob breached the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

"I would have been all for the league to shut down," George told reporters. "I think this is something that definitely should have been addressed but there's a fine line because it does give people some positivity to watch games...but I definitely would have been all for [the NBA] shutting down."

The NBA decided to move forward with its full 11-game slate Wednesday night, and George took part in the Clippers' 108-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Several teams decided to take some form of action.

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat issued a joint statement about the starkly different treatment of the rioters at the Capitol and those who marched in support of Black men like Jacob Blake, who was paralyzed from the waist down in August after being shot by a police officer who wasn't charged in the case Tuesday:

"2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed. We play tonight's game with a heavy heart after yesterday's decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation's capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues they are on. The drastic difference between the way protesters this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to today's protesters who acted illegally just shows how much more work we have to do.

"We have decided to play tonight's game to try to bring joy into people's lives. But we must not forget the injustices in our society, and we will continue to use our voices and our platform to highlight these issues and do everything we can to work for a more equal and just America."

The Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks each committed a turnover while all 10 players on the court took a knee together to start their game:

Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce was among the many others in the NBA who highlighted the differences between how protests involving in the Black Lives Matter movement were met with fierce resistance compared to Wednesday's insurgence response:

"It'll never change unless there's acknowledgment in the past with regards to how African Americans have always been treated in the history of that and going back to slavery and going back to Reconstruction and going back to civil rights. You can't say that things are going to change if you don't acknowledge that it's a problem. What you're seeing today is a reminder there's a huge difference. There's a reason why there [isn't] shooting and brutality and looting and things of that nature, and people are just walking around the Capitol building as if it's nothing; and people sitting in [Speaker of the House of Representatives] Nancy Pelosi's office as if it's nothing.

"We all understand that there would've been guns ablaze and fires ablaze right now if there were Black people protesting, and if there were Black people protesting on the outside. We haven't even mentioned the inside and tearing up the building."

Meanwhile, George's Clippers teammate Marcus Morris said he didn't think the teams' decision to kneel for the national anthem was a strong enough response in this instance.

"My personal opinion: that wasn't enough," Morris told reporters. "I thought we shouldn't have played."

There are five NBA games scheduled for Thursday, including two nationally broadcast matchups on TNT: the Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks vs. Denver Nuggets.

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard spoke about the need for continued progress toward ending police brutality after police officer Rusten Sheskey was not charged Tuesday by prosecutors in Wisconsin for the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in August.

"It keeps happening," Leonard told reporters after the Clippers' game against the San Antonio Spurs. "We are still doing things to better the community, try to get better laws for the officers with those firearms but it's sad...hopefully in the future we can get these guys to stop releasing fire on us."

Todd Richmond and Michael Tarm of the Associated Press reported Kenosha County district attorney Michael Graveley said he opted to not file criminal charges against Sheskey, who's white, because he couldn't disprove the officer's statement he was acting in self-defense.

Graveley said Blake, who was paralyzed from the waist down by the shooting, told investigators he was carrying a knife, and the district attorney said bystander video appears to show Blake moving the knife toward Sheskey during a confrontation.

Blake family attorney Ben Crump disputed that claim in a statement to the AP, saying "nowhere does the video footage show a knife extended and aimed to establish the requisite intent." He added the decision not to charge Sheskey "further destroys trust in our justice system."

The NBA took a three-day hiatus during the playoffs in August after the Milwaukee Bucks started a leaguewide walkout to protest systemic racism. The Bucks released a statement Tuesday after the district attorney announced his decision:

"The Bucks organization remains firmly against excessive use of force by law enforcement. This past year shed light on the ongoing racial injustices facing our African American and other marginalized communities. Reoccurring instances of excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging the Black community must stop. We will continue to work to enact policy change so these incidents no longer exist. As an organization, we remain strongly committed to address issues of social injustice and anti-racism and to make meaningful change for African Americans and all marginalized members of our community."

Tuesday's NBA games were all played as scheduled. Milwaukee's next game is set for Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons.

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George will miss Tuesday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs because of right ankle soreness.

George was limited to 48 games during the 2019-20 regular season. He underwent surgery on both shoulders in the offseason, which pushed back his Clippers debut. The six-time All-Star then picked up a hamstring injury in January, which forced him to miss nine games. The problem resurfaced before the All-Star break.

George was his usual self when healthy. He averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 41.2 percent from beyond the arc.

However, his performance in the postseason once again became a storyline as he struggled against the Dallas Mavericks before the Clippers threw away a 3-1 series lead over the Denver Nuggets in the conference semifinals.

Los Angeles will be proactive in managing George's workload, but last year's finish showed how important it is to build continuity on the floor in the regular season. The absence of any real cohesion is a big reason why the team collapsed in the playoffs.

George missing a game or two won't present the Clippers with a big problem. His absence for a long stretch would, however, become cause for concern.

Paul George said he has "absolutely" been motivated by critics of his play following the Los Angeles Clippers' collapse in the 2020 NBA playoffs. 

"It's the reason I came into this year focused. I heard all the noise, and I use all that noise for motivation," George told reporters after Sunday's 112-107 win over the Phoenix Suns.

George took the brunt of the criticism for the Clippers blowing a 3-1 lead against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals—perhaps deservedly so. He averaged 21.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the series against Denver and shot just 4-of-16 in the deciding Game 7.

"I had a tough year last year," George said in his on-court interview after the game. "People think it's sweet, man, people think it's sweet because I was down. I didn't hear none of this my 10 years in the league but last year, people living on that last year. And I got to answer that. And I am ready to compete. I'm back."

George was also the subject of plenty criticism after Damian Lillard knocked down a shot in his face to send the Oklahoma City Thunder home in the 2019 playoffs, and then again after George forced a trade to the Clippers a year after re-signing in Oklahoma City.

Perhaps the bubble was the first time George noticed the criticism, but the social media savages of NBA Twitter have been rampaging in his mentions for the better part of two years (if not longer). Handing yourself the nickname Playoff P and then falling short in said playoffs tends to rile up the critics.

The criticism coming from fellow players is a little more fresh, and opponents seem emboldened to get under the Clippers' skin after their playoff collapse.

"I don't talk, I play my game," George said. "For whatever reason, it's dudes talking. Like, never heard people talking [before], and it's never been directed towards me but for some reason it's a lot of mouth. And it's fine. I got to play up to that."

George has been the Clippers' best player in their 5-2 start, averaging 25.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists while posting a 51/49/92 shooting line. 

Several members of the Los Angeles Clippers support staff will be quarantined after a positive COVID-19 test, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Wojnarowski added that the group includes no players, coaches or members of team management.

The Clippers faced the Utah Jazz on the road Jan. 1, but eight members of the support staff reportedly had a New Year's Eve meal with "intermittent mask-wearing." Those in attendance will be quarantined after one person tested positive for the coronavirus.

Instead of quarantining in Salt Lake City, the group returned to Los Angeles and will quarantine there, per Wojnarowski.

The NBA created strict protocols entering the 2020-21 season to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, which includes smaller traveling parties for each team and heavy testing.

The league also has the ability to impose discipline against those who violate the rules and affect others.

No players have currently been affected by the situation, allowing the team to play as scheduled Sunday against the Phoenix Suns.

Los Angeles is 4-2 to begin the season in the first year under new head coach Tyronn Lue.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard said Thursday that some of his teammates have teased him over the protective mask he had to wear against the Portland Trail Blazers after suffering a mouth injury that required stitches.

According to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, Leonard said, "S--t, it's hard to breathe in that mask ... they started calling me 'Leatherface' and stuff."

Kawhi suffered the injury Christmas Day as a result of an inadvertent elbow from teammate Serge Ibaka. Given Ibaka's role in the incident, Leonard joked, "Serge can't talk too much; we got him on the trading block."

Ibaka clearly got a kick out of Leonard's joke:

Some Twitter users also got in on the act, including someone who made a Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs comparison:

Leonard's return to the lineup Wednesday was a successful one, as he finished with 28 points, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals in a 128-105 win over the Blazers.

Kawhi missed two games after his injury versus the Denver Nuggets.

The Clips went 1-1 in those games and are now 4-1 on the season and in first place in the Western Conference's Pacific Division, a half-game ahead of both the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings and one game ahead of the rival Los Angeles Lakers.

As expected, Kawhi has been the driving force behind the Clippers' success this season, averaging a team-leading 25.0 points per game to go along with 5.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 steals.

Leonard is following in the footsteps of other NBA stars who have toughed out facial injuries by wearing a mask during games, including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Rip Hamilton, the latter of whom famously wore a mask long after his injury healed.

Kawhi's mask has a different design because it is meant to protect his mouth, and it certainly gives off heavy Lecter vibes. Still, anything that gets Leonard on the floor is a good thing for the Clippers, especially since it didn't seem to hinder his play whatsoever.

It's no secret that Damian Lillard and certain members of the Los Angeles Clippers weren't exactly best friends as the NBA finished its 2019-20 season at the Walt Disney World Resort bubble, but L.A. head coach Tyronn Lue doesn't think the Portland Trail Blazers star was looking for revenge during Wednesday's game.

"We know he can score 50 points on any given night," Lue told reporters after the Clippers' 128-105 win. "We tried to set the tone by blitzing early... and trying to keep him off balance."

Lillard finished with 20 points, but only because of his ability to get to the free-throw line.

He was an ugly 3-of-14 from the field and 0-of-8 from three-point range as Los Angeles swarmed him on the perimeter and cut off his driving lanes. Patrick Beverley picked him up well beyond the three-point line throughout the game, and Lillard never found his touch.

Throw in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combining for 51 points on the other side, and the Trail Blazers didn't have much of a chance.

As for what could have been motivating Lillard, he missed two important free throws at the end of a seeding game in the bubble while facing the Clippers. Beverley yelled some trash talk from the bench, while George waved goodbye to him.

The wave was notable because that is exactly what Lillard did to George's Oklahoma City Thunder when he eliminated them from the 2019 NBA playoffs with a buzzer-beater.

The beef went to social media with Lillard calling them "chumps" and criticizing them for switching teams and "running from the grind." Lillard and CJ McCollum also went after the Clippers on social media when L.A. blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs with the former inviting Beverley on vacation:

To hear Lue say it, the bad blood apparently wasn't a factor in Wednesday's game. Still, the Clippers surely enjoyed the victory.

The Los Angeles Clippers will have their leader back for Wednesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters Kawhi Leonard will play after he missed the last two games with a mouth injury that required stitches. The Clippers went 1-1 in those games, although the loss was by 51 points to the Dallas Mavericks.

Leonard suffered the injury during a Christmas Day victory over the Denver Nuggets when he took an accidental Serge Ibaka elbow on the mouth.

He needed eight stitches and was down on the court in a bloody scene for some time.

While Los Angeles looked lost without him during the Mavericks game, it bounced back nicely in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves with a balanced effort. In fact, seven Clippers scored in double figures in that contest with Lou Williams leading the way off the bench with 20 points.

Considering defenses will be focused on stopping Leonard and Paul George in the playoffs, it was a welcome sign for a Clippers team that will need the supporting cast in key moments.

Leonard has appeared in two games this season and is averaging 23.5 points, 5.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals a night. He is arguably the best two-way player in the NBA, and it wasn't particularly surprising the Clippers held him out for multiple games until he was fully ready to return with more important basketball on the horizon.

Wednesday's game is a potential playoff preview with plenty of star power with Leonard and George on one side and Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum on the other.