Kawhi Leonard’s status revealed ahead of Game 1 in Clippers-Mavericks playoff series
LOS ANGELES - After playing coy for weeks, the Los Angeles Clippers gave a direct answer when it comes to Kawhi Leonard’s injury status for Game 1 in the playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks.
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On Thursday, Lawrence Frank confirmed that as of now, Leonard is "questionable" for Game 1.
The six-time All-Star was out for the final eight games of the regular season with right knee inflammation. It's also worth noting in March, he left the Crypto.com Arena mid-game after experiencing bad spasms.
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The Clippers have not had a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the playoffs since 2020.
In 2021, Leonard tore his ACL during the Western Conference semifinals. Still, the Clippers rallied and made their first Western Conference Finals appearance in franchise history. However, the injury was significant enough that it kept Leonard sidelined for the entire 2021-22 season.
Paul George #13 celebrates with Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers prior to the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on January 29, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
That season, the Clippers lost the first play-in game against Minnesota with Paul George, and the morning of the second play-in game, it was announced George had COVID. Due to protocol, he was unable to compete, and they were eliminated from playoff contention after a four-point loss against New Orleans.
The Clippers showed more promise by avoiding the play-in altogether during the 2023 postseason as the No. 5 seed and were up against the Phoenix Suns for the first-round series.
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After phenomenal performances in Games 1 and 2, it was announced before Game 3 that the two-time NBA Finals MVP was out with a right knee strain. He reportedly aggravated the injury in Game 1 and played through it in Game 2. Leonard was then sidelined for the remainder of the series. George was ruled out for the entirety of the opening-round series due to a knee sprain.