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The LA Clippers are hosting the fifth-place Utah Jazz at the Crypto.com Arena, with the biggest story of the week being Paul George's possible return. After missing 49 games this season, including the last 43, George might see the floor for the first time since December last year.
The Clippers desperately need some offensive help, as they are down in the dumps at the moment. They have fallen to below .500 but are firmly holding on to eight place.
They have a large cushion on both sides of the Western Conference standings. They are 6.5 games behind the seventh-place Minnesota Timberwolves (43-33) and four games ahead of the ninth-place New Orleans Pelicans (32-43). It seems like they are destined for the NBA play-in tournament, regardless of their upcoming schedule.
However, if they wish to navigate the NBA play-in tournament and reach the playoffs, they'll need all the help they can get.
Impressively, they are eighth in the league in defensive rating but have been abysmal at the offensive end. Paul George's addition could help address that to a large extent, so the LA faithful could want to know the status of their star player for this game.
Paul George is listed as questionable against Utah Jazz
Paul George has been officially upgraded to questionable for this game after several weeks of being on the sidelines.
According to Sports Illustrated's Farbod Esnaashari, George is nearing his return this week. He reported on four possible return dates for the star forward, emphasizing that the Clippers' organization has done a great job in his rehabilitation process. Esnaashari wrote:
"Sources have told AllClippers that George is targeting a return to game action this week. The Clippers have four games this week, so as long as there are no setbacks, he is on track to return during either: March 29 at home against Utah, in either of the team's upcoming road games on March 31 at Chicago and April 1 at Milwaukee, or at the latest, home on April 3 against New Orleans."
George's return would shift Marcus Morris Sr. to the bench, as the former would take up his natural small forward position. George can comfortably switch between the 2 and 3 positions, so he will add a lot of versatility to the roster. He will likely be under minutes restriction when he returns to action, though.
Poll : Will Paul George's return spark a winning streak?
Yes
No
79 votes
