The status of Kawhi Leonard for the Los Angeles Clippers' matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday has just been revealed, and as expected, the reigning Finals MVP will be given the night off.
This report comes via Clippers insider Andrew Greif:
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard (injury management, left knee soreness) will NOT play today vs. Portland. Decision was just made.
This is the same approach to back-to-backs the Clippers have taken all season with Kawhi. Clippers play Sunday, as well.
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) August 8, 2020
Saturday will be the first contest of a back-to-back set for LA, and as what they have done throughout the season with their superstar, the Clippers will ask Kawhi Leonard to sit out one out of the two games. After the Blazers on Saturday, the Clippers will be back in action on Sunday to face the Brooklyn Nets. Kawhi's knee issue does not appear to be anything serious, so he is fully expected to suit up against Brooklyn.
LA is currently 2-2 since the restart, but are still sitting at the second spot in the Western Conference. This team still has much to play for, with the third-seeded Denver Nuggets right at their heels with just a game and a half behind. It is also worth noting that just four games separate the Clippers from the sixth-seeded Oklahoma City, so at this point, LA's position at the top is anything but guaranteed.
For his part, Leonard has played in all four of the Clippers' games thus far and has been his usual dominant self. The 29-year-old has averaged 27.0 points (on 43.4 percent shooting), 5.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 steals, while also connecting on 2.8 triples per contest on a highly-impressive 50.0-percent clip. Needless to say, Kawhi's play for the Clippers the rest of the way will determine how far this team can fare in the postseason.
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