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Kawhi Leonard injury update: Clippers star to miss third consecutive game with knee contusion, per report

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George teamed up this offseason to give the Los Angeles Clippers one of the most potent superstar duos in all of basketball. Unfortunately, the two have yet to take the floor together as Clippers. George missed the beginning of the season as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery. He made his return on Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans, but Leonard missed both that game and Saturday’s win over the Atlanta Hawks

Now, Leonard will miss yet another game on Monday as the Clippers take on George’s former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. 

Leonard has been on a strict load management schedule so far this season that has not allowed him to play in both halves of back-to-backs, but that was primarily a precautionary measure. On Wednesday, however, he suffered a knee contusion against the Houston Rockets. That was the last game he played in. He is considered day-to-day according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reported that additional evaluations have not shown any further seriousness to the injury. 

Fortunately for the Clippers, George has been stellar in his stead. He is averaging 35 points per game so far in only 22 minutes of action per night. On Saturday, he became the first player in NBA history to score 37 or more points in 20 or fewer minutes played. Obviously, it would be naive to assume that he will maintain that caliber of scoring, but George appears to be at full health at the very least. That should give the Clippers even more leeway to rest Leonard knowing that they have another superstar at his position in place. 

Leonard’s next chance for a return will be Wednesday as the Clippers take on the Boston Celtics. That game, as well as Friday’s matchup with the Rockets, will be nationally televised. Leonard has missed multiple nationally televised games this season as part of his load-management plan. This time around, he has a legitimate injury, but if he were to miss those games it would further discourage viewers who are anxious to see Leonard and George play together. 

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