NBA News Weekly: Paul George Injured in Clippers Loss

By Ziv Chen  | 

Mar 22nd, 2023 02:30 PM  |  3 mins

 | 

 Fact Checked by Mark Fordham

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With not long to go in the NBA season, fans and bettors alike are loving the action as the race for the playoffs, play-ins and MVP award heats up. Across the league, consistent teams like the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics are starting to wobble, and franchises like the Philadelphia 76ers are gelling at the right time.

Injuries are causing teams like the Los Angeles Clippers to worry about their offseason chances. With just 11 games left in the rollercoaster ride that has been the 2022/23 NBA season, here are a few of the NBA picks we found interesting this week.

Who Will Win the NBA MVP?

As the regular season draws to a close, the conversation around the best player in the NBA is heating up. Denver’s Nikola Jokic has been the favorite with USA sports betting sites for the large majority of 2022/23 to claim the Michael Jordan Trophy at the end of the season, with short spells for Boston’s Jayson Tatum and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo.

However, the -165 favorite with most US sportsbooks in the final stretch of the NBA season is Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, who has been extremely impressive in recent weeks and has helped his team to a playoff berth. Embiid has averaged 36.2 points and 9.5 rebounds in March, leading his team to victories over Milwaukee and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He scored 37 points in Monday night’s double-overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls.

Nikola Jokic seemed to have the MVP award won, but Denver’s recent struggles have cooled interest in the Serbian playmaker. Elsewhere, the consensus appears that Giannis Antetokounmpo has had a less-than-perfect season but has averaged 31.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game.

Other outsiders for the award are the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis. With just a few weeks left of the NBA regular season, what’s sure is that the many twists and turns of this exciting NBA season may produce yet another surprise in the MVP race.

Are the Philadelphia 76ers Favorites to Win it All?

While Boston and Milwaukee have dominated the narrative around the NBA winner this season, Philadelphia has emerged as a championship-caliber team with 11 games to go in the season.

With eight wins in its last 10, Philadelphia has beaten Milwaukee, Cleveland and the Washington Wizards in recent weeks, powered by the dynamic offense of Joel Embiid. Embiid has led the team to an astonishing 125.9 offensive rating in the last 10. Despite the Bulls defeat, the 76ers are emerging as one of the favorites to win the NBA Finals in June.

In their final 11 games, the 76ers face several of the top teams in the NBA, including the Nuggets, Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Mavericks, and Brooklyn Nets. NBA betting apps have priced Philadelphia to win the NBA Finals at +900, good for the fifth favorite.

Philadelphia last won the NBA Finals in 1983 and hasn’t won a conference title since 2001, when it defeated Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference finals.

With Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Co. producing a dizzying offense under head coach Doc Rivers, there’s hope in Philly for the Sixers to reach the NBA Finals. After the Phillies lost the World Series and the Eagles lost the Super Bowl, will the Sixers make it third time lucky for the City of Brotherly Love?

Paul George Suffers Leg Injury

Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George was helped off the court during Tuesday night’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder after apparently suffering a leg injury. George left the game on a cart with his right leg extended, and the team did not offer an update on the Clippers’ star man.

Ty Lue, Clippers coach, told the press that he hadn’t seen George after the game and would hear more in the coming days. "He’s still being evaluated right now, but I did see [the injury]. I didn't even know it looked like that until [one of the Clippers coaching staff] just showed me,” Lue said at the end of the game.

A collision between the knees of George and Thunder guard Luguentz Dort caused the injury with 4:38 left on the clock. George fell to the ground awkwardly and was slow to get up, staying there for several minutes. He required plenty of help to get back to the locker room.

His teammate Kawhi Leonard was asked how the Clippers would cope without George, and he said, “We’ll see. We got a group of guys who still want to win, that like to play basketball, so we’ll see what happens.”

The Clippers had won five of their previous six games and are three games over .500, good for fifth place in the Western Conference. With most NBA betting sites, LA Clippers are priced at +2300 to win the NBA Finals in June.