L.A. Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari has been ruled out for Monday night’s showdown with the up-and-coming Philadelphia 76ers which would be his fourth-straight missed contest.
Gallinari is still dealing with a nagging glute injury that is taking some time to heal. When was asked by ClutchPoints’ Tomer Azarly about when he thinks he’ll be back in action, the Clippers forward didn’t have the answer that would appease the increasingly concerned fanbase that has seen the team lose five consecutive games prior to the Sixers game.
Convo with #Clippers Danilo Gallinari a few mins ago:
Me: "How are you doing? How's the hip?"
Gallo: "Getting better. I can walk now."
Me: "Are you running yet or doing some shooting?"
Gallo: "No, not even close, brother."— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) November 14, 2017
Danilo Gallinari’s absence has forced Clippers head coach Doc Rivers into inserting Wesley Johnson to the first five, but Johnson has been a waste of starting minutes. In the last two games, Johnson managed a pathetic total of five points on 1-of-5 shooting across 47 minutes.
Gallinari, who signed a three-year deal with the Clippers back in the summer, has averaged 12.8 points on 35.5 percent field goal shooting percentage, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in nine games played this season.
The Clippers have three days of rest after tonight’s game against the Sixers as they won’t play until Friday when they pay the Cleveland Cavaliers a visit, and that could buy Gallinari enough time to get back in playing shape.
Apart from Gallinari, the Clippers are also dealing with the absences of Patrick Beverley and Milos Teodosic, who are both being sidelined with lower-body injuries. Rivers, however, is optimistic that some of his injured players will be back in harness sooner than later.
"…to be honest, I've not heard that, but it just seems like, the way they're moving, that they'll be back pretty soon."#Clippers have 5 game road trip starting Friday at #Cavs and ending next Saturday at #Kings
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) November 14, 2017
Austin Rivers, Lou Williams, and Jawun Evans are all seeing increased minutes to mitigate the absences of the team’s key players, but the Clippers obviously are not having success without them. The team is just 5-7 as of this writing and will soon be on a five-game road trip that begins in Cleveland.
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