Head coach Ty Lue informed reporters that Superstar Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers will not be available for the team’s playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Lawrence Frank's opening statement on Kawhi Leonard:
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 18, 2024
“Kawhi's been dealing with inflammation for almost 3 weeks in his right knee. He's doing everything, our medical staff is doing everything to get the inflammation down so he can play. Progress has been made, but more progress,… pic.twitter.com/mc8JZTfZBN
The Clippers could remain without their best player for the game, as Kawhi Leonard is on the injury report listed as questionable.
Leonard is dealing with “some very, very stubborn inflammation,” Frank said, via The Athletic’s Law Murray, but “everything structurally is in a really, really good place.”
Before Frank’s press conference, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Stadium that Leonard “received an injection in his knee to alleviate inflammation” and “after a period of rest, he’s been ramping up.” Charania reported Leonard has been doing “some pretty intense” on-court workouts “in the last week or so.”
Frank said about the report, “We don’t comment on any specific treatments, obviously.” He added that Leonard is “doing everything he can and we’re doing everything we can medically.”
Frank directly said that “there is no gamesmanship here.” He said the Clippers “want to be as transparent as possible, and also it’s OK to say what the truth is: It’s unpredictable. We’re hoping it’s trending in the right direction.”
The two-time NBA Champion has missed the previous eight games, so this would be his ninth straight out of the lineup (if he doesn’t play).
Leonard had another impressive regular season with averages of 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest, shooting 52.5% from the field and 41.7% from the three-point range in 68 games.
The Clippers are the fourth seed in the Western Conference with a 51-31 record. They have gone 6-4 over their last ten games and are also in the middle of a three-game losing streak.
Last year, the Clippers lost to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
As for the Mavs, they are the fifth seed in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record. Last year, they were the 11th seed and missed the NBA playoffs (and the play-in tournament).
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