Clippers’ Mason Plumlee Sustains Left Knee MCL Sprain

Clippers center Mason Plumlee has suffered a left knee MCL sprain and will return to Los Angeles this week for further evaluation, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

During the third quarter of Monday’s 111-97 loss against the Knicks, Plumlee fell to the floor after Julius Randle went stumbling into his left leg near halfcourt of Madison Square Garden.

Following the collision, Plumlee needed assistance exiting the court, as he was carried to the locker room grimacing in pain, in what appeared to be at first a serious left knee injury. With this in mind, it was relatively good news for the Clippers, that the initial injury diagnosis is only a sprain.

In his 11th season, Plumlee, 33, 6-foot-10, was averaging 5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 17 minutes of playing time throughout his first six games this year.

While Plumlee recovers, in what presumably is going to be a multi-week absence, the Clippers will be short handed in the frontcourt, since they are now lacking in size. That is to say, the team will have to rely on backup center Moussa Diabate, 6-foot-9, and newly acquired P.J. Tucker, 6-foot-5, to see increased minutes behind center Ivica Zubac. 

In other injury news, Clippers’ shooting guard Terance Mann (ankle) has a chance to make his season debut in Wednesday’s game against the Nets; he is listed as a game-time decision.