The hits keep on coming for the Los Angeles Clippers; still without Darius Garland, the main player they got in return for James Harden, they also lost John Collins to a brutal-looking head injury earlier on in their Friday night contest against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Making matters worse, the Clippers will now be without Kawhi Leonard for the final few minutes of a close game against the Purple and Gold, as per Tomer Azarly, Clippers beat reporter for ClutchPoints.
Leonard was experiencing soreness in his left ankle, and it looked like he tweaked it on a play earlier in the fourth when he attempted to post up and had the ball poked away from his grasp. The Clippers star was walking rather gingerly, and now, the team is opting to play it safe, refusing to risk further harm for their best player.
Before being forced to exit the game due to an ankle injury, Leonard scored 31 points on 11-19 shooting from the field to go along with four rebounds and five assists.
Things go from bad to worse for plucky Clippers
To say that this season hasn't gone according to plan whatsoever for the Clippers would be a major understatement. Leonard's alleged involvement in cap circumvention business involving a bankrupt company called Aspiration got things started off the wrong foot for the Clippers this season, and now, LA is about to be without two key players at such a crucial point in the season.
The Clippers were one win away from being at the .500 mark, which is a borderline miracle considering their 6-21 start to the season, but their loss to the Lakers delays their monumental climb for now. The onus will be on Bennedict Mathurin to lead the team in scoring if Leonard, Collins, and Garland would miss even more time.
