Kawhi Leonard Ruled Out for Clippers’ Game 3 Vs. Suns

Kawhi Leonard ruled out for Game 3 of Clippers-Suns series originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

The Los Angeles Clippers will be without their top two players when they take the floor for a pivotal matchup against the Phoenix Suns Thursday night.

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Kawhi Leonard will miss Game 3 of the Clippers' first-round series due to a right knee sprain, the team announced. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Leonard is considered "day-to-day" ahead of Saturday's Game 4.

Leonard aggravated knee in Game 1, played through it in Game 2 and is expected to be day-to-day ahead of Game 4 on Saturday, source tells ESPN. Injury isn't related to his previous ACL injury. https://t.co/v7mXgQLokN
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 20, 2023

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Leonard led the Clippers in points (31), rebounds (8), assists (7) and minutes (39) in Tuesday's Game 2 loss in Phoenix. He was even better in Game 1, putting together a 38-point masterpiece across 42 minutes to give the Clippers a 1-0 series lead.

Game 1 was Leonard's first playoff game since 2021, when he suffered an ACL injury during the first round that kept him out for the entire 2021-22 season. He played 52 games in the 2022-23 regular season, averaging 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

Along with Leonard, Paul George is also sidelined for the Clippers. George is recovering from a sprained right knee and reportedly is expected to miss L.A.'s first-round series.