Hawks soar as coronavirus clips Clippers' wings

ATLANTA • Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are out indefinitely for the Los Angeles Clippers and that prospect has left the National Basketball Association (NBA) team worried with five more successive road trips to come.

The short-handed visitors could not overcome the loss of their two biggest stars, on top of the injured Patrick Beverley, as they were beaten 108-99 by the Hawks in Atlanta on Tuesday, snapping their seven-game win streak.

Clippers guard Reggie Jackson paced his team with 20 points but he could not make up for the scoring void left by Leonard, who is averaging 25.9 points per game this season, and George, who is averaging 23.9.

In their absence, All-Star guard Trae Young, returning after missing the Hawks' previous game with injury, had repeated open looks, shooting 12-of-23 from the field and scoring 26 points of his game-high 38 in the first half to help Atlanta, sixth in the Eastern Conference, improve to 9-8.

The Clippers dropped to third in the Western Conference with a 13-5 record and their next run of games include match-ups at last season's NBA finalists Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets.

All-Stars Leonard and George missed the first game in the road sequence due to Covid-19 protocols and this is an unwelcome experience for the team, who before this week had not yet been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

While their teammates are still hopeful the duo can rejoin them at some point during this away stretch, they admitted they were in the dark over their return.

"At this point, we understand this is the new normal, this is the different dynamic than we're used to," said reserve guard Lou Williams, who had 11 points on the night. "We were told right before we were taking off that those guys would probably join us later on in the trip or maybe not come on the trip."

Centre Ivica Zubac, who poured in 13 points off the bench, added: "It's tough. It's just how this year is going to go. We were lucky to have everyone so far but it is what it is. We've got to adjust. It's going to be this type of season for everyone and we're not the exception."

On Leonard and George, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue revealed he could not put a time frame on when they can rejoin the fold but said they were in good spirits.

"It is a tough time," he added. "But thankfully, those guys are feeling well and they can get better and hopefully join the team soon.

"Our guys are up for the challenge (with or without them). No excuses."

The Hawks welcomed fans for the first time since March, even though less than 10 per cent of the State Farm Arena was filled, with only 1,180 season-ticket holders in attendance because of safety measures.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE