The Los Angeles Clippers began the season on a high, but it lasted a very short time. Bradley Beal will be out again when the Clippers host the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night after having not played on Sunday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. Beal will officially be listed as OUT for Tuesday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors due to back pain, the Clippers announced Monday afternoon.
A familiar concern resurfaces as Bradley Beal’s resilience faces an early-season test in Los Angeles
Bradley Beal was labelled as “OUT” for Tuesday night’s game against Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and the Warriors on the Clippers’ injury report, which was made public on Monday night. Before being declared out before the game, Beal was listed as “QUESTIONABLE” to play on Sunday night against the Warriors, according to head coach Tyronn Lue.According to Tyronn Lue, Beal was hurt on a defensive play during Friday night’s Clippers’ home opener against the Phoenix Suns. Lue said:“He took that charge and it kind of gave him some back spasms.”In 20 minutes a game, the 32-year-old veteran averages 5.5 points while shooting 45% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. Compared to the previous season, when he averaged 17.0 points in 32.1 minutes with the Phoenix Suns, this represents a sharp drop.The Clippers are hoping that this most recent setback won’t follow Beal’s pattern from previous seasons. Due to a number of ailments, the experienced guard has only played in 196 of the 328 regular-season games since the 2021–22 season. This past offseason, Los Angeles signed Beal to a two-year, $11 million contract—a short-term, low-risk move for a proven scorer—in part because of this durability worry. The Clippers, who are now the oldest team in the NBA, are anticipated to exercise caution in 2025–2026 as they monitor the health of their veteran-heavy squad. When Los Angeles plays the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, October 31st, Beal will have another chance to make a comeback.
Subtle tension rises as Bradley Beal’s delayed return tests the Clippers’ balance between patience and ambition
Beal’s back injury will keep him out of his season opener. Bogdan Bogdanovic will take Beal’s place in the starting lineup, and Kris Dunn could get more minutes. Beal also sat out Sunday night’s 114-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers for the second consecutive game.His last appearance was on Friday, October 24, when the Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns 129-102. He only played for 20 minutes and produced six points, two assists, and a rebound. This time Beal is taking a day off early, which would indicate that maybe the team would prefer to have Beal rest at home and the Clippers finish up their one-game road trip with two days’ rest in between, or Beal simply is not near returning for Tuesday night’s contest.
Bradley Beal is a talented NBA player (Image via NBA)
This year, the Clippers, the league’s oldest franchise, are walking a delicate tightrope. Without Beal, the team must walk carefully between preserving his health and still trying to play successfully. His injury impacts the team’s overall chemistry and on-court approach as well as his own play.Beal has averaged 21.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three throughout his 14-year, 803-game NBA career. Beal seemed to have lost some of his spark over a few losing seasons with the Phoenix Suns, but the Clippers are gradually integrating him into what they want to achieve.Also read: Jayson Tatum debuts new hairstyle at Bradley Beal’s recent wedding pictures while pushing through Achilles rehab
