On Tuesday morning, the Los Angeles Clippers announced that veteran big man Serge Ibaka would miss the Clippers game against the Utah Jazz due to entering the League’s health and safety protocol.
Clippers beat writer Law Murray of The Athletic reports that Ibaka has had a close contact test positive, which prompted the Clippers to test him, which came back negative. which the result came back negative
Ibaka would have been able to sit with his teammates during the game. However, Ibaka remains away from the Clippers while his teammates are in Utah due to COVID-19 protocols.
A source tells @TheAthletic that Serge Ibaka was a close contact yesterday and had to test right at gametime.
— Law Murray 🎄 (@LawMurrayTheNU) December 15, 2021
That is why he did not enter the bench area last night until later in the first quarter. Ibaka tested negative but is out for start of trip due to protocols.
Since returning to the Clippers, after spending time in G League working on his conditioning, Ibaka’s minutes have decreased, seeing him fall out of the rotation behind Isaiah Hartenstein and Ivan Zubac.
Ibaka has subsequently received multiple DNPs. Clippers Coach Tyrone Lue was shuffling lineups. He’s shared his frustration by liking a tweet about being traded.
The Clippers are currently dealing with injuries to a string of their star players, including Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Nicolas Batum.
