Despite going 2-1 up in the series after Game 3, Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers lost Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets. As a result, the series remains tied at 2-2 heading into game 4 with the Nuggets having home court advantage. Winning in this game would be a huge deal for either team, as it would allow them some breathing room to close out the series.

However, a loss here for the Clippers means an uphill battle, needing to win both games 6 and 7 to qualify for the next round. So as they head into this high-stakes game, let’s see whether their squad will be at full strength to face the Nuggets.

LA Clippers Injury Report – Will Kawhi Leonard play in Game 5?

For a huge chunk of his career, Kawhi Leonard has been the guy who could do more. Despite winning 2 Finals MVPs and 2 rings, everyone felt he had untapped potential. However, injuries always seemed to hold him back. But no longer is that the case.

Recently, Kawhi Leonard has been relatively injury-free. And this trend continues ahead of Game 5 against the Nuggets. He is off the injury report and is AVAILABLE to play in Game 5 against the Nuggets. And it gets better for you, Clippers fans. The Clippers haven’t turned in an injury report. You know what that means, right? It means the Clippers have no injured players on their roster as things stand.

Their opponents, on the other hand, have not been so lucky. DaRon Holmes II, who injured his right Achilles tendon, is OUT for Game 5. He will miss the rest of the series and the postseason after getting the tendon repaired surgically. But more pressingly, Russell Westbrook is QUESTIONABLE for this upcoming game with an inflamed left foot. But the Nuggets’ woes don’t end there. Michael Porter Jr. is PROBABLE to appear in this game.

So, compared to the Nuggets, the Clippers are in quite an advantageous position. Coach Tyronn Lue will have a much easier time picking his lineup for Game 5 compared to his Denver counterpart. But the lineup wasn’t the issue in the last game.

The Clippers will need to lock in for Game 5 to get the lead against the Nuggets

The Nuggets narrowly claimed victory in Game 4 after Aaron Gordon hit a buzzer-beating dunk to seal the Clippers’ fate. But the whole game wasn’t as close as the final quarter. You see, Kawhi Leonard and company had to claw their way back into the game after conceding a 22-point lead to the Nuggets at one point.

And Kawhi Leonard and his team didn’t seem too broken up by the loss. They were already looking ahead after the final whistle. “It’s still a series, best-of-three. We’ll see what happens,” he said after the game. This is all a positive sign. However, what the Clippers need to avoid is letting Denver run away with it like they did in the last game.

If they can lock in like they did in the final quarter of Game 5, victory should come easily. That’s because the Clippers’ star duo, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, are both clicking now, when it matters the most.

Harden is averaging 21.3 points in this series while Kawhi leads the team with 26.5 points. And with these two in their element, the Nuggets will struggle to contain them, especially with two of their key rotation players’ appearances being dubious ahead of this game.

That said, given how close this series has been, it’s possible that this game will also come right down to the wire. However, with injuries and absences favoring the Clippers in this game, they seem better poised than Denver ahead of this game.