Injured Odom Sits Out

As expected, Lamar Odom did not play Saturday against the Portland Trail Blazers. He left the Clippers’ victory Friday over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the third period because of a nagging sprained right wrist.

The Clippers’ next move is to be determined.

“Maybe it’s time to sit him out a few games and see what happens,” Coach Alvin Gentry said before the Clippers played Portland. “We’ve got some games coming up next week that are important to us, but we need to figure out what we want to do.”

Odom was injured after taking a fall in the Clippers’ victory Dec. 16 against the Detroit Pistons. He was sidelined Saturday for the first time since Jan. 2, when he returned to the lineup after a three-game absence.

Gentry hoped Odom would be fit to play until the All-Star break next month, when the Clippers have a six-day span without a game and there would be time to rest and rehabilitate.

“Maybe we will sit him now and see if that will help,” Gentry said. “He can’t be the same player [because of the injury].”

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Elliott Teaford