NBA Playoffs: Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers will not play against the Phoenix Suns
When Kawhi Leonard was ruled out of the Los Angeles Clippers’ NBA playoff game against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday due to an injured right knee, the club suffered a setback.
Unnamed sources told the Los Angeles Times that it was uncertain whether Leonard would be able to play in game four on Saturday after the Clippers declared him out with an official injury report.
During the Clippers’ 115-110 victory over the Suns in game one of their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round playoff series, Leonard reportedly injured his knee.
In that contest, the Clippers defeated the Suns on their own court as he scored 38 points.
In game two, despite being injured, he played through it, finishing with 31 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in the 123-109 loss that tied the series at one game each.
For a Clippers team that doesn’t anticipate having star Paul George back from a damaged right knee for the first round, the loss of Leonard, who was twice voted NBA Finals MVP while winning NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors, is a shattering blow.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the ailment has nothing to do with Leonard’s torn right knee ligament from 2021, which kept him out of action for a whole year.
He participated in 52 of the Clippers’ 82 games this season as they managed his injury comeback.
