The Los Angeles Clippers have moved from favorites to underdogs after Paul George was ruled out of Friday night's play-in game against the Pelicans.
George was placed into the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols on Friday, just mere hours before tip-off.
The Clippers had been -4 favorites across most major American sportsbooks before the announcement. Now, they're underdogs or pick 'em at those books.
DraftKings and FanDuel have the Clippers as a +1 underdog. Caesars and BetMGM have the Clippers as a -110 pick 'em.
The Clippers had been roughly -185 favorites across the board prior to the news. They're now -110 at DraftKings, Caesars and BetMGM. The best line currently on the market is with FanDuel at +100.
That means George's absence moves the Clippers' implied probability to win tonight's game from about 65% to 52%. That's a 13% edge, fitting for a superstar of his caliber.
Los Angeles are 24-27 this season without George, who was injured for parts of December, all of January and February and parts of March.
The Clippers have been 4-2 since his full-time return in late March, including a nail-biting loss to the Timberwolves in a play-in game on Tuesday in which George scored 34 points with seven rebounds and five assists.
Frank: "Yesterday, Paul wasn't feeling well. We had a bunch of guys who didn't sleep very well. And then, we learned of the official diagnosis this morning. You know, and just it's — he's in health and safety protocols."
Obviously, no timetable for George, if Clippers clinch. https://t.co/QHf5BiCnOF
— Law Murray ☔️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) April 15, 2022
The winner of tonight's contest will represent the Western Conference as its No. 8 seed. That would set up a date with the Suns in the first round.
The Pelicans have gone 3-1 against the Clippers this season, but two of those contests took place when New Orleans had a relatively different roster construction. L.A. had taken the last contest with George in tow and CJ McCollum suiting up for New Orleans.
