Clippers' Livingston dislocates knee cap

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Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Clippers point guard Shaun Livingston dislocated his left knee cap and had to be wheeled off the court on a stretcher during Los Angeles' 100-93 victory Monday night over the Charlotte Bobcats.
The three-year veteran was driving to the basket on a fast break and went up from a layup. He missed the shot and came down hard on his left foot in a contorted manner and collapsed in obvious pain as the Staples Center crowd of 18,442 grew hushed. Play continued for another 18 seconds before Livingston was placed on a stretcher.
"When he landed, I thought it was his ankle," coach Mike Dunleavy said. "But when he hit the floor, you could see that his knee was dislocated and he was in tremendous pain."
Livingston remained in the arena for X-rays, which were negative, then was taken to the hospital for further evaluation.
Dr. Steven Shimoyama, one of the Clippers' team physicians, said he had to pop Livingston's knee cap back into place to alleviate the pain.
"The prognosis is still uncertain because we don't yet know the extent of his injury," the doctor added. "In our preliminary inspection, it does not appear that he had damage. But you need an anteriogram (an injection of dye into the arteries in Livingston's leg) to be sure. Then he'll probably get an MRI."
Livingston, who was picked fourth overall by the Clippers in the 2004 draft out of high school, has been hampered by injuries and has yet to play a full season in the NBA. He missed 39 games during his rookie season because of a dislocated right knee, and another 12 that season because of torn cartilage in his right shoulder. Last season he sat out the first 21 games with a stress reaction in his lower back.
"I love that kid," teammate Cuttino Mobley said. "It's a tough thing to happen to him - not only for the team, but also for our fans. He is really special."
Livingston, who has been sharing the point guard duties with 37-year-old Sam Cassell, missed two games in January with a sprained right ankle. He entered the Charlotte game averaging 9.5 points and 5.2 assists. Livingston had a career-high 14 assists in Saturday's 103-90 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
"He was playing well," Elton Brand said following the Clippers' 100-93 victory. "He just had one of his best games of the season against Golden State, so it was really disappointing. After he got injured, it was on the back of everyone's mind. We wanted to pull it out, even though it was a downer with Shaun going down the way he did."
 
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