Key Member of James Harden Trade Available For Clippers Against Lakers on Wednesday

The Clippers are going to have a key piece of the puzzle.

The Los Angeles Lakers are getting set to face off against the LA Clippers on Wednesday night in the first battle of LA of the 2023 season.

The Clippers have won 11 straight games in this matchup, and made a blockbuster trade earlier this week to try to continue that dominance over the Lakers.

The Clippers traded for James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers in a blockbuster trade that also brought P.J. Tucker to LA. And whileJames Harden won't be playing on Wednesday, Shams Charania reported that Tucker will be available.

The longtime NBA veteran played in three games for the 76ers this season, averaging 22 minutes per game and playing his usual defense-first game. He'll bring tons of versatility to the Clippers, and could help slow down LeBron James and Anthony Davis on Wednesday night.

The Clippers don't yet know if Paul George and/or Kawhi Leonard will play on the second night of the back-to-back, so they could use all the reinforcements they could get.

The Lakers are looking to finally end the losing streak against the Clippers, but Tucker will hope to keep the winning going on his new team.

Tip-off for Wednesday night's game is at7:00 p.m. PT on ESPN. Stay tuned on AllLakers.com for the injury reports and everything you need to know about this matchup.

UPDATE:

Shams Charania reported that while Tucker is cleared to play, his availability is contingent on the other players in the trade passing their physicals and thus the trade officially going through. Tucker is hopeful to play on Wednesday night against LA.

Further clarity: PJ Tucker is hoping to play tonight vs. Lakers, but his debut is contingent on all players in trade passing physicals. For now, Tucker isn’t listed on Clippers’ injury report. https://t.co/9chBeLs6bM

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 1, 2023

UPDATE:

All players have passed their physicals, and Tucker is eligible to play on Wednesday, per Charania.

All players have now passed physicals — PJ Tucker is indeed eligible to make his Clippers debut tonight vs. the Lakers, source says.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 1, 2023