Will Kawhi Leonard Play Tonight? LA Clippers vs Boston Celtics: Preview, Lineups & Predictions

The LA Clippers continue their Eastern Conference road trip with a trip to Massachusetts. They face the Boston Celtics in a battle of some of the best wing players in the league. The Clippers need to fix their streaky form, after losing their last game, while the Celtics need to find stability and build a strong winning run.

Date & Time: March 2, 2021, 7:30pm ET

Venue: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts.

Preview | LA Clippers

The Clippers started the season strongly and were keeping pace with the Jazz, who are #1 in the West. But inconsistent displays in their last few games have seen them drop from #2 to #3. They fell to the Bucks in their last game, after an off-game from Paul George. The Clippers shot poorly and slipped to a five-point loss.

Rookies Jay Scrubb (foot) and Daniel Oturu (quadriceps) are out on the sidelines until All-Star break at least, while veteran Patrick Patterson is out indefinitely because of personal reasons.

Starting 5 for the LA Clippers

Guard – Patrick Beverley

Guard – Paul George

Forward – Kawhi Leonard 

Forward – Nicolas Batum 

Center – Serge Ibaka 

Preview | Boston Celtics

The Celtics went through an embarrassing three-game losing streak that saw them drop below .500. But they have bounced back with two wins, despite not having star Jaylen Brown. After struggling for a whole month, Jayson Tatum redeemed himself and has once again become their go-to guy.

There is no new update on the injuries for Romeo Langford (wrist) and Marcus Smart (calf) and they will be unavailable. Brown could potentially return and is marked as questionable. If he plays, he is likely to play limited minutes off the bench. The Celtics desperately need him to return against opposition of such caliber.

Starting 5 for the Boston Celtics

Guard – Kemba Walker

Guard – Javonte Green

Forward – Jayson Tatum

Forward – Tristan Thompson

Center – Daniel Theis 

Preview | Clippers vs Celtics

This could be an intense game, with Tatum vs Leonard the highly anticipated duel. The Celtics got the better of the Clippers in their last meeting when Tatum led them to a win. While the Celtics didn’t have Brown in that game as well, the Clippers didn’t have George. If Brown fails to return in time, the duo of George and Leonard could take the game away from the Celtics.

It is likely to be the Clippers’ 25th win of the season, and they will be favorites to win this clash.

ALSO READ – Stats Prove Kawhi Leonard-led Clippers Struggling in Clutch Moments Despite Winning Games