The Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is an injury doubt going forward in his team’s playoff series against the Phoenix Suns. Leonard sprained his right knee during the Clippers’ Game 1 victory.
Although Leonard played through his injury during the Clippers’ defeat in Game 2, he was ruled out of Game 3 on Thursday night, with the Suns winning 129-124 to take a 2-1 series lead.
Leonard is being monitored daily by the Clippers’ medical staff, who consider his injury day-to-day. He will be evaluated before Game 4 on Saturday afternoon to determine if he is ready to return to the court.
“Symptoms got worse after Game 2,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said of Leonard’s injury before Game 3. “Obviously, if we weren’t comfortable with [Leonard] playing [in Game 2], we wouldn’t have. But after the game, things didn’t get better. They got worse. So we will rule him out and kind of take it day by day.”
Following their Game 1 win, Clippers coach Ty Lue and his players expressed their belief that they could win the series. Leonard proved crucial in the first two games, averaging 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.0 steals.
