Nicolas Batum enters health and safety protocols

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.