Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers looked to be a sinking ship earlier in the season when they first traded for James Harden. However, the Clippers have won nine of their last 11 games to move to 17-12 on the season and right in the thick of things in the Western Conference. Despite losing two straight games to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics, Los Angeles has proven to be real threats with their All-Stars healthy and playing alongside one another. On Tuesday night, the Clippers will be back in action against the struggling Charlotte Hornets. One would think the Clippers will handle the Hornets easily, but Leonard has missed the last two games for Los Angeles, leading many to ask: Is Kawhi Leonard playing tonight vs. the Hornets?

Kawhi Leonard's status vs. Hornets

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard

While you may not hear much about him compared to other superstars around the league, Kawhi Leonard has quietly been putting together an MVP-like season. During the Clippers' recent nine-game win streak, Leonard averaged 29.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 61.3 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from three-point range.

The Clippers have now lost two straight games though and Leonard has not played in either of these two games. Now on the injury report once again due to a left hip contusion, Kawhi was initially listed as questionable to play against the Hornets in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. In the team's update prior to the game, however, Leonard was officially ruled out, per Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.

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It has been just under a week since Leonard has played for the Clippers, which is a little concerning given his injury history with the team through the years. Nonetheless, the good news is that the Clippers don't appear to be too concerned over their star's injury and he has been held out of their last couple of games as precaution. In fact, Leonard is not expected to miss many games, according to Azarly.

In order to be a true championship contender, the Clippers are going to need Leonard healthy and available in big games this season. As a result of still landing on the injury report and playing a sub-.500 team, it is not surprising that Los Angeles opted to give their star an extra day of rest.

With Leonard out, Amir Coffey is expected to draw another start, with the roles of Norman Powell and Russell Westbrook increasing off the bench.

So, when it comes to the question of if Kawhi Leonard is playing tonight vs. the Hornets, the answer is, unfortunately, no.