Bradley Beal received a positive injury report after missing 2 games

Bradley Beal and the Los Angeles Clippers haven’t got off to the start they wanted to this season but will be hoping five home games in the next six will get them back on track.

Beal has missed the last two games for the Clippers’ trade with pain in the lower back. He originally suffered the injury while taking a charge during the Clippers’ home win against the Phoenix Suns.

According to the injury report for the Clippers, who head into Friday night’s Halloween contest vs New Orleans Pelicans, Bradley Beal is not on the list on the injury report and is expected to play.

Without Beal, the Clippers have been a mixed bag, winning an impressive game against the Portland Trail Blazers at home while being blown out by the Golden State Warriors on the road.

Beal is also still working his way back from offseason knee surgery. The guard underwent arthroscopic knee surgery back in May following his second season with the Phoenix Suns. A few months later, he reached a buyout agreement with the franchise and joined the LA Clippers in free agency.

He only played the first half of the team’s final preseason game against the Warriors, and has played a total of 40 minutes in two games for the Clippers so far.

After the Clippers’ loss to the Warriors, head coach Tyronn Lue mentioned Beal as someone the Clippers needed in the early parts of this season.

“I think teams are trying to press us more, but we’re missing a key component, which is Bradley Beal giving us a badass, a guy who can play, a guy who can handle the basketball,” Lue said after the Warriors’ loss. “So when you add that into the mix, it makes us better, but we just can’t have offensive lulls during games like we’ve had. It’s combinations, guys we have on the floor. I like our second unit that staggers James and Kawhi, but that didn’t happen (against the Warriors) when they got tired so that got us into the game.”

In two games played, Beal averaged just 5.5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist while increasing his activity and comfort level with this Clippers team.

Friday night’s game between the Clippers and Pelicans marks the first night of NBA Cup action this season.