With the series tied at 1-1, the LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns are set to face off in Los Angeles for Game 3. The Clippers did well to steal one on the road before heading back home, and they will look to take care of business in games 3 and 4 before heading back to Phoenix.

The Game 3 injury report looks the exact same for both sides as it did the first two games, as Paul George remains out for the Clippers, and Cameron Payne remains questionable for the Suns. Both George and Payne missed the first two games of the series as well.

George gave a vague update on his injury during a recent episode of his podcast, saying he is working on both his sprained knee and his conditioning. George mentioned that his conditioning is at a high level right now, which will allow him to return immediately upon being cleared.

It remains unclear whether or not that will happen in the first round, but all of the reporting has remained consistent up until this point, and the current expectation continues to be that George will miss the entire first round.

Without Paul George, the Clippers are certainly the underdogs in the series, but they proved with their Game 1 victory and their competitive effort in Game 2 that they will be a tough out for Phoenix. Hoping to take a series lead on Thursday night, Clippers will host their first playoff game since 2021.

Kawhi Leonard (knee sprain) OUT

“Leonard aggravated knee in Game 1, played through it in Game 2 and is expected to be day-to-day ahead of Game 4 on Saturday.