LA Clippers Get First Taste of Injury Misfortune vs. Trail Blazers

The LA Clippers are dealing with their first notable injury of the season on Sunday.

Oct 24, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) guards Los Angeles Clippers guard Bradley Beal (0) as he drives to the basket in the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The LA Clippers had a huge 2025 NBA offseason, adding guys like Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez, John Collins, and Chris Paul to bolster their championship-caliber roster. Of course, Beal could be the biggest game-changer for the Clippers, but there is always a concern with his availability.

Beal, 32, has not played over 60 games in a season since his 82-game 2018-19 campaign. More recently, Beal has been dealing with an ongoing back injury, and on Sunday, the Clippers are getting their first taste of the Bradley Beal experience that they were worried about.

Bradley Beal's status vs. Trail Blazers

Oct 24, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Bradley Beal (0) warms up prior to the game against the Phoenix Suns at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Clippers are hosting the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night, and for the first time this season, Beal is listed. The Clippers are noting Beal as questionable for Sunday's game due to back soreness, as he is in jeopardy of missing his first game since signing with LA this offseason.

Joining Beal on LA's injury report on Sunday are Jordan Miller (left hamstring strain) and Jahmyl Telfort (two-way), who are both ruled out, although neither would have cracked the Clippers' rotation regardless.

The Clippers have actually been optimistically healthy to start their 2025-26 campaign, with guys like Kawhi Leonard and James Harden showing no signs of health concerns. This is a great indication of better days to come for the Clippers, as if they can stay healthy, they are undoubtedly one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA. Still, keeping Beal at 100 percent will be the trick.

Trail Blazers have a couple of key injuries

Mar 21, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) drives to the basket during the first half against Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Trail Blazers are dealing with a couple of backcourt injuries themselves for Sunday's game, as they have ruled out Damian Lillard (left Achilles tendon injury recovery) and Scoot Henderson (left hamstring tear), as they both deal with long-term injuries to start the season. Backup center Robert Williams III (return to competition conditioning) has also been ruled out of Sunday's game.

Of course, there is no surprise about any of these injury report notes for Portland, as they will go through most of the 2025-26 season short-handed, but they are still a surprisingly talented team that the Clippers cannot take lightly.

The Trail Blazers are coming off a statement win over the Golden State Warriors, and the Clippers could certainly use Beal to help avoid an upset themselves.

The Clippers and Trail Blazers are set to face off in Los Angeles at 9:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.