In their latest fixture, the Los Angeles Clippers suffered a 95-109 loss against the Sacramento Kings. This loss stymied a three-game winning streak, however, despite coming short, the Clippers finished their current road trip with a 3-1 record. One of the major reasons why the squad lost the Kings game was the absence of Kawhi Leonard. He couldn’t play in the fixture due to right knee soreness. As his team takes on the perennial threat Denver Nuggets, what is his status for the game?
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Unfortunately, the official injury report lists Kawhi Leonard as ‘Out’ for the game against the Nuggets because of right knee soreness. Therefore, Leonard is set to miss his 8th game of the season. As per Statmuse, without him the Clippers have a 3-4 record, indicating his value to the team. However, Clippers fans have seen encouraging signs from him during the 2023-24 season.
Kawhi Leonard (injury management) listed out Friday.
— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) January 7, 2023
This is the first time in six seasons that the Claw has appeared in more than 60 games. Earlier, he had never played in more than 57 games and missed a complete season. Therefore, in terms of availability, he reached a humungous milestone during the current season. On the flip side, his squad has been on and off throughout the season despite a stacked roster.
What is the Clippers ceiling?
With James Harden, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard, there is no shortage of shot-creators in the Clippers line-up. The elite trio can also make things happen off the ball, putting defenses on the back foot. However, despite such a deadly combination, the Clippers’ offense has often whittled in key situations. They have squandered big leads and have often lacked the killer edge even against teams with sub-par records.
These deficiencies have been on prime display since the All-Star break ended. The squad has 11 wins and 11 losses post-All-Star Break, a concerning trend moving forward. Despite having their three major stars available for most parts, they have not been able to capture a huge winning streak since early February. The loss against the Kings once again broke the flow for the squad.
Therefore, there are questions around the squad as we head into the postseason window. Their remaining games are no dud and the playoffs will be a fierce field from the jump. It will be interesting how the loaded squad copes if they get a draw against a young and hungry team like the New Orleans Pelicans.
