Clippers veteran Nicolas Batum has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets. It’s unclear how long he’ll be sidelined.
Batum, 32, is a key cog in the Clippers' rotation. In 14 games this season (13 starts), he’s averaged 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest, shooting 52% from the floor and 44% from three-point range.
In addition to Batum, Marcus Morris (left knee), Jason Preston (right foot surgery) and Kawhi Leonard (right knee; ACL reconstruction) remain out. Los Angeles started third-year player Amir Coffey — who went undrafted in 2019 — against Dallas on Sunday in Batum’s place.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue previously said the team was fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Los Angeles currently owns a 9-7 record, good for the sixth-best in the Western Conference.
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