BOSTON — Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. was helped to the locker room after falling to the court and grabbing his right knee following a collision in the second quarter of Los Angeles’ 121-118 loss to the Celtics on Sunday.
Jones was reaching for a loose ball and collided with a diving Jaylen Brown of Boston. Brown’s arm struck Jones’ leg. Jones grabbed his knee as he fell to the floor and was rolling in pain before slowly getting up and being helped to the locker room, barely putting any weight on the leg. Brown was whistled for a foul on the play.
“We won’t know until he gets reevaluated; we’re not quite sure right now,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said of Jones’ injury.
James Harden, who scored 32 of his 37 points in the second half Sunday, said the injuries are starting to pile up. Kawhi Leonard missed his seventh straight game with an ankle and foot sprain, and Bradley Beal suffered a season-ending hip fracture Nov. 8.
“It’s tough,” Harden said of Jones’ injury. “It’s like one after the next. You just try to continue to keep your head on straight, focus on what you can control and just go out there and come away with wins. Hopefully guys will start coming back sooner than later.”
Jones, 28, has started all 13 games this season and entered averaging 10.9 points.
