Closing out a series is always a tough task, and it will be more difficult for the San Antonio Spurs to come up with a victory in Game 6 against the Houston Rockets as they will be without their best player, Kawhi Leonard.
Head coach Gregg Popovich announced the development during his pregame interview, and ultimately decided to sit him out and not force him to play through his injury.
Per Coach Pop, Kawhi Leonard will not play tonight
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 11, 2017
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year rolled his ankle in Game 5 when he accidentally stepped on the foot of James Harden. He sat out the final three minutes of regulation, and the entire overtime period as Popovich said it was “obvious” he couldn't play through it anymore. The team initially listed him as questionable, even if Leonard said he will play on Thursday night, as they wanted to see first how he'll fare in shootaround.
Jonathon Simmons will start in his place, with Danny Green and Kyle Anderson both expected to see an uptick in their minutes as they all try to fill in the void left by The Klaw.
The Rockets may overlook the Spurs for playing without Leonard, however, they should not take them lightly as their opponents know very well how to win with a depleted roster.
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