Coming off a win against the Rockets, the Clippers had a well-balanced scoring attack led by Paul George, whose services weren’t required come the final quarter. Coach Ty Lue decided to rest his starters, given them playing back-to-back.
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Currently holding an 8-6 record, the Clips have done a decent job without superstar Kawhi Leonard, who missed his 11th consecutive game on Monday night against the Rockets. As suspense around his return date continues to linger, Coach Lue confirmed The Klaw had played a 5-on-5, expected to be back soon.
As the Clippers continue their Texas tour, they look to face playoff arch-rivals Dallas Mavericks tonight. As Luka Doncic looks to extend his hot run, the question arises if Kawhi will suit up for the game.
The Clips have been one of Luka Magic’s biggest hurdles, especially come playoff time, having ended the Slovenian native’s postseason aspirations on back-to-back occasions in 2020-21.
Is Kawhi Leonard playing tonight?
According to Dalton Trigg of FanNation, The Klaw will not be making his return against the Mavericks. The former DPOY continues to be out, placed under knee injury management. Coach Lue also plans to rest veteran point guard John Wall, who is yet to be cleared for playing back-to-backs.
Thus once again, George will be entrusted with the responsibility of running the offense, something he’s been excelling in. The seven-time Al-Star has been averaging 24.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals. Nonetheless, he will have to take his numbers up several notches this time, with Luka having multiple 30-point streaks this season.
It would have been interesting to see a Kawhi-Luka matchup, given the former has always got the better of the Mavericks guard. In their 13 post-season meetings, The Klaw has an 8-5 record against Luka.
