Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard was forced to exit Saturday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans after getting elbowed in the face during the second half of the contest.
Leonard left the court and was not seen on the bench between the third and fourth quarters after he apparently took an elbow to the face from Brandon Ingram. Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints then reported that Kawhi had been ruled out for the rest of the game due to what the team is calling a facial contusion.
With the Clippers already without Paul George, who is nursing a sprained right knee, the team eventually fell to the Pelicans, 131-110. Bones Hyland led the way for LA with 18 points, but they had no way to counter Ingram and Trey Murphy III who had 32 points apiece.
Kawhi Leonard had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes of action before his exit.
Fortunately for the Clippers, the latest update on Leonard's injury indicate a “relatively low” concern, per Law Murray of The Athletic. The veteran forward reportedly has a headache as a result of the hit to the face, but that is the only issue he's experiencing right now. The Clips are said to be optimistic that Leonard will feel better by Sunday. LA has a one-day break before returning to action in Crypto.com Arena on Monday against the Chicago Bulls.
Here's to hoping that Leonard doesn't miss any time because of the injury. After all, the Clippers couldn't afford to have him sidelined with the playoff race in the West so tight.