Paul George Reportedly Expected to Return from Elbow Injury for Clippers vs. Jazz

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George is expected to make his long-awaited return to the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Utah Jazz, according to

The Athletic reported on George's return, with Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reporting George will play "barring a setback pregame."

Those reports come after the Clippers upgraded him to questionable on Monday.

George has already missed 48 games this season, including 43 straight with a torn UCL in his right elbow. 

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters after a 111-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 3 that George's status would be updated when he had another MRI on Feb. 24. 

In that same press conference, Lue said Kawhi Leonard is "probably not gonna come back" this season as he continues to rehab from a torn ACL suffered in the Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz in July. 

Despite not having George and Leonard for most of the season, the Clippers are still in the mix for a play-in spot. Their 36-39 record is eighth in the Western Conference. They rank eighth in the NBA in defensive rating (110.1), per Basketball-Reference.com. 

George has been the only source of consistent offense for the Clippers this season when he has played. The seven-time All-Star leads the team with 24.7 points and 5.5 assists per game in 26 starts.

No other Los Angeles player who has appeared in more than three games this season is averaging more than 16.9 points per game.

George's expected return comes with Los Angeles 6.5 games back of the Minnesota Timberwolves (43-33) for seventh and four games up on the New Orleans Pelicans (32-43).