Clippers’ Danilo Gallinari out with injured right hand

Reporting from Denver —  The pain registered on Danilo Gallinari’s face as he sat in a chair inside the Pepsi Center hunched over trying to tie his shoes before the Clippers shootaround Tuesday.

He had black tape crisscrossing his bruised right hand, but even that was not making it any easier for Gallinari to tie his shoe or ease his disappointment at not being able to play against the Denver Nuggets later that night.

He had already missed the Phoenix Suns game Friday night after suffering the injury Thursday night at Golden State.

Now Gallinari was missing the game against the Nuggets team that had sent him to the Clippers in a three-team, sign-and-trade deal last summer.

He is also going to sit out against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night at Staples Center.

He eventually went on the court to take some shots, but a simple thing like tying his shoe showed Gallinari just how much he is suffering with his hand injury.

“Just look at myself tying up my shoes. That’s how it feels. It hurts to tie my shoe,” he said. “It’s weak. It’s lots of pain. So I don’t know. Honestly, we’re taking it day by day. The second day it got better, but yesterday and today, it kind of got worse.”

The Clippers are in the stretch drive for a playoff spot in the Western Conference and need Gallinari’s services.

But he’s not sure when he’ll play again.

“I’m far from playing,” Gallinari said. “I don’t think I can play against Houston either. I’m being honest.”

Gallinari had two X-rays on the hand, Thursday night at Oakland and Friday night at Phoenix, and both revealed no broken bones in his hand.

“I trust the doctor,” Gallinari said. “They both told me in Phoenix and in Golden State that there was no fracture. So, that’s the good news.”

Etc.

Clippers guard Tyrone Wallace, who is on a two-way contract to play for their NBA development league team, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, had just one day left to play for the Clippers after playing against Denver on Tuesday night. His last day probably will be Wednesday night when the Clippers play Houston at Staples Center. The Clippers then can sign him to a 10-day contract or to a prorated rookie deal for the rest of the season, or he could finish the season with ACC.

TONIGHT

VS. HOUSTON

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

On the air: TV: Prime Ticket, ESPN; Radio: 570, 1330.

Update: The Rockets’ James Harden, the NBA’s leading candidate to be named the most valuable player of the league, has led his team to the best record in the NBA at 47-13. He has the Rockets on a 13-game winning streak. He is averaging a league-best 31.4 points.

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