Clippers Injury Report: Kawhi Leonard’s Status Revealed Ahead of Cavaliers Clash

The LA Clippers march forward on a thin thread ahead of the playoffs. The team’s trusted forward Kawhi Leonard missed the last 3 games with a right knee inflammation. Head coach Tyronn Lue refused to reveal the severity of the injury, but he hinted that the 2x Champ’s return wouldn’t be far-fetched. However, a recent injury report revealed a grave sign, ahead of the postseason.

According to Tim MacMahon, an ESPN reporter, Kawhi Leonard would miss his 4th straight game with right knee inflammation. The Clippers take on the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow at Crypto.com Arena and they will again go short-handed without Claw. After a scary run in the absence of Russell Westbrook, the Clippers found their form back, winning 5 out of the last 6 games.

In this stretch, the team managed to shut down the Denver Nuggets in a close encounter. This helped them cement their place as the 4th seed, which was under threat for the last few weeks. While the playoff preparations are underway, the team has the Kawhi Leonard problem to deal with.

Ahead of the game against the Kings, the team had listed him on the injury report with right knee soreness. They refused to open up on whether Leonard had taken an MRI. Nevertheless, during the last game, Ty Lue dropped a promising update, as he said, “Just day-to-day. He’s progressing. He’s feeling better.”

Apart from Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers also have 3 other youngsters listed out for tomorrow’s game- Jordan Miller, Joshua Primo, and Moussa Diabate. On the other hand, the Cavs have 3 players listed out too. Isaac Okoro, Ty Jerome, and Dean Wade. These players didn’t take part in tonight’s game against the LA Lakers with various injuries. Notably, their playing status could change before tomorrow’s tip-off.

Cavs vs Clippers: Starting lineup (without Kawhi Leonard)

In the absence of Kawhi Leonard in the last three games, the Clippers have put up a great show. PJ Tucker and Terance Mann took up Leonard’s spot in the starting line-up. While Mann recorded 7 points in a game, Tucker went scoreless in a game and 3 points on another occasion. That didn’t seem to have worked well for the Clippers so far.

However, it didn’t affect the game’s result yet apart from the loss against the Sacramento Kings. Paul George and Russell Westbrook stepped up in his absence, averaging 20 and 16.3 points respectively in the last three games. The team might also require James Harden to push his scoring in this situation, as he averaged only 13 points during this stretch.

In Kawhi Leonard’s absence, the Clippers starting lineup for the Cavs clash may look like this: Paul George, PJ Tucker, Ivica Zubac, James Harden, Terance Mann. 

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