In the fourth quarter of Saturday afternoon's game between the LA Clippers and Detroit Pistons, Clippers guard Norman Powell suffered a scary face injury after Pistons center Jalen Duren unintentionally elbowed him in the face:
Powell was bleeding badly, and Clippers head coach Ty Lue told reporters after the game that he got stitches in his face, but was fine. Powell had a bandage between his eyes in the locker room after the game, but told reporters he’s fine, adding, "I’m tough."
It was a scary scene with all the blood following Duren’s elbow to Powell’s face, but it seems the Clippers guard avoided anything too serious. Powell has been playing great this season, helping boost different lineups off LA’s bench with his scoring and shooting ability. While it’s possible he’ll have to clear some concussion tests before returning to play, it doesn’t seem like Powell will have to miss much time, if any at all.
The Clippers held on to defeat the Pistons despite losing Powell for the final five minutes. It wasn’t easy, but afternoon games typically aren’t for this team. Doing enough to get the win, the Clippers overtook the OKC Thunder for the Western Conference’s second seed. It’s been a back and forth battle atop the Western Conference for several weeks, as four teams are separated by just one game.
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