Is Serge Ibaka playing tonight against the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs Round 2?
The LA Clippers player we have barely seen this season, Serge Ibaka, hasn't helped the team in the NBA playoffs either. He barely played in the second half of the season and the team went 23-8 without him this season. The LA Clippers managed to win the first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks without his presence as well, and now questions regarding his health have started to come up. Many analysts have said that the Clippers do not need Serge Ibaka to begin with as they have adjusted their game plan without him and adding him back this late will hamper their offense. Serge Ibaka played 12 minutes and 47 seconds off the bench in Game 1 of the first-round series and scored just eight points. He played just five minutes in Game 2 and scored two points before ultimately never returning to the series again. Serge Ibaka with the LA Clippers  Serge Ibaka has been officially ruled out for Game 1 of the 2021 Western Conference Semi-Finals against the Utah Jazz. He suffered back spasms for nearly half of the season and that injury is evidently still bothering him. Serge Ibaka did not travel to Utah with the Clippers so that he could stay back in LA and get treatment.  Sarah Todd (@NBASarah) June 7, 2021  Ibaka is not traveling with the team to Salt Lake City, meaning he is not only out for Game 1 but also Game 2. He averaged 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in the regular season in 41 games played. The LA Clippers got his production from Ivica Zubac and he did a spectacular job filling in. Zubac averaged 10.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game in the games Ibaka missed. Given the nature of Serge Ibaka's injury, there is a slight chance he might not show up for NBA playoff games for at least the next series, should the LA Clippers advance past the second round. I will say: If you're counting on Serge Ibaka being available for the upcoming series, I would not do that. At this point, given what he's gone through this year with his back/nerve issue, you likely have to assume he's just not going to be there for a while. Dear reader, please help us improve our NBA/basketball coverage by taking a quick, 30-second survey. Click here! Edited by Arnav Kholkar