Just as the Los Angeles Clippers are working their way up the Play-In Tournament standings, the team takes a massive injury hit before facing the San Antonio Spurs.
Heading into the matchup against the Western Conferenceâs second-seeded Spurs, the Clippers are dealing with a Kawhi Leonard injury concern.
The veteran forward suffered an ankle injury during the Clippersâ recent loss against the Sacramento Kings. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game and was placed on the injury report as doubtful for Mondayâs action.
Leonard didnât even make it to pregame warmups before the Clippers made the final decision on his status. He was officially ruled out due to an ankle sprain.
Clippers Reveal Starting Lineup vs Spurs Without Kawhi Leonard
GettyClippers’ Kawhi Leonard during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in December 2025
The Clippers will start Darius Garland, Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., John Collins, and Brook Lopez.
The Clippers started the 2025-2026 NBA season off on the wrong foot. Despite entering the year with high hopes of becoming one of the Westâs top contenders, they ended up collecting losses like one of the worst teams in the league.
A long absence from Leonard early on didnât help, but he struggled to help the Clippers turn things around quickly when he returned to the lineup in late November.
That wouldnât be a long-term trend, however. Leonard and the Clippers eventually figured it out. While they would dig themselves into a deep hole with their early struggles, the Clippers turned into one of the hottest teams in the NBA in late December and on.
Still, the Clippers made major changes at the 2026 trade deadline. After cutting ties with the multi-time All-Star Chris Paul earlier in the year and losing the All-Star Bradley Beal to an injury, the Clippers traded away James Harden and Ivica Zubac.
In the Harden deal, the Clippers landed Darius Garland from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Zubac deal landed the Clippers Bennedict Mathurin and Isiaiah Jackson.
Since the trade deadline, the Clippers have posted a 10-5 record. During that stretch, Leonard produced 29.9 points per game, while shooting 51% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc. He also produced 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game during that stretch.
As the eighth seed, sitting with a 34-33 record, the Clippers could use every game that they can get down the stretch. Leonardâs recovery timeline isnât totally clear at the moment, but the Clippers are going to get a preview of who they are without him against the red-hot Spurs on Monday.
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