The Los Angeles Clippers will be without star player Kawhi Leonard for a third straight game.
The Los Angeles Clippers will once again be without their star player.
The Clippers announced that All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard is out for Saturday's game against the Phoenix Suns. Leonard is listed as OUT with a right ankle sprain.
This will be Kawhi's third straight missed game. He played in the first six games of the season for the Clippers, averaging 33.5 minutes per game.
Leonard was off to a strong start to the season, averaging 24.3 points per game, his highest scoring average since the 2020-21 season when he averaged 24.8 points per game.
The Clippers did get some good news as James Harden will return after missing Thursday's loss to the Suns due to personal reasons. Harden is averaging 23 points and eight assists on the season.
Los Angeles Clippers Struggling Without Kawhi
With Leonard missing the last two games, the Clippers have struggled on both ends of the floor. On Tuesday against the defending champion Okalahoma City Thunder, the Clippers gave up 126 points, with 70 coming in the second half. The Clippers were on a back-to-back, having lost to the Miami Heat on Monday in a game where Leonard did play.
With Harden and Leonard out against Phoenix on Thursday, the Clippers were outscored 115-102 in the loss. Bradley Beal struggled, going 2-14 from the field to contribute just five points. Ivica Zubac led all Clippers scorers with 23 points.
Devin Booker and Jalen Green combined for 53 points for the Suns.
Clippers Offense Fails To Get Going
Despite having multiple future Hall of Famers on the roster, Tyronn Lue and the Clippers offense has not produced on the young season.
The team is currently scoring 110.5 points per game, which ranks only above the New Orleans Pelicans (107.9 points per game) and the Dallas Mavericks (106 points per game).
Their offensive rating sits at 113, which is 21st in the league.
Kawhi Leonard Outlook
Coming into the season, the Clippers and Leonard were hopeful that he would be healthy and be able to play in back-to-back situations. Kawhi said before the Mami game that there were "no restrictions" on his availability, and that he planned to play in the back-to-back situation against Miami and Oklahoma City.
Leonard had a healthy offseason after a 2024 offseason where he battled right knee inflammation and missed the first 34 games of the season.
As of now, there is no timeline for Kawhi's return.