The LA Clippers are set to host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, the third game of a tough five-on-seven stretch for the Clippers.
Seven-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard played in Saturday night's game against the Sacramento Kings, but left the game in the fourth quarter due to a left ankle injury. After the game, the Clippers announced that Leonard was suffering from a left ankle sprain, and would be reevaluated.
Everything we know about Kawhi Leonard's injury status for tonight's game vs. the Spurs.
Kawhi Leonard's injury status vs. Spurs
Kawhi Leonard was unlisted on the Clippers' injury report for Saturday night's game against the Kings, the second game of a back-to-back set. Leonard had been playing in consistent sets this season when healthy, but sprained his left ankle for the second time after the NBA All-Star break.
Leonard is listed as "questionable" to play in Monday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs, and it appears he will be held out of the game. The LA Clippers are expected to make it official around 6pm PST, after Leonard has finished his usual pre-game workout routine and is evaluated by the medical staff.
Kawhi Leonard has played nine consecutive sets with the Clippers this season, indicating that he is healthy enough to play. In years past, the Clippers have kept him out of most back-to-back sets, but that was largely due to his injuries, such as a torn ACL, torn meniscus and knee inflammation, which caused him to miss the 2024 postseason.
Leonard has been mostly healthy this season, playing 53 of the Clippers' 67 games so far, 10 of which were missed due to a severe right ankle sprain. Despite the injury on Saturday, Leonard surpassed Bob McAdoo with his 45th-straight games of 20+ points, setting a new franchise record. Leonard's current streak is the second-longest active streak behind Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“Passing McAdoo is a huge accomplishment,” Tyronn Lue recently said of Kawhi Leonard. "He was a really good player, great player, and it says a lot about Kawhi. When he's healthy, you know, what he's done this year is crazy. Someone asked the other day, 'Have you seen someone do that in their 14th season, which is more than what they've averaged their entire career?' And I said, 'No, I'm not surprised.' Because I see the work he does every day. I see what he does every night to get on the floor and try to play. He plays as healthy as he is. And it may take him a long time to do so.
This season, the Clippers are 30-23 in the 53 games Kawhi Leonard has played and 4-10 in the 14 games he has not played. Leonard is averaging 28.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals, while shooting 50.3 percent from the field, 38 percent from three and 90.6 percent from the free throw line.
So far, the Clippers have posted a 34–33 record, turning their season around to 28–12 since starting the season 6–21.
When it comes to the question of whether Kawhi Leonard is playing tonight against the Kings, the answer is probably no.
clippers injury report
The Clippers have three players listed on the injury report for Monday night's game.
- Kawhi Leonard (sprained left ankle): Questionable.
- Bradley Beal (left hip fracture): Out
- Yannick Konan Niederhauser (right Lisfranc ligament rupture): out
Spurs injury report
Spurs have five players listed on the injury report for Friday night's game.
- Dylan Harper (right calf injury): out
- Harrison Ingram (G League - Two Way): Out
- David Jones Garcia (G League - Two Way): Out
- Luke Cornet (right knee soreness): out
- Emmanuel Miller (G League - Two Way): Out
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Charlotte Hornets 115-102 on Saturday night before beginning their flight to Los Angeles. Monday night's game represents the second of three matchups between the LA Clippers and San Antonio Spurs.
