Kawhi Leonard Injury Update Doesn't Shift Clippers' Playoff Odds This Season

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard suffered an ankle injury on Saturday night in a loss to the Sacramento Kings and did not return to the game.

Los Angeles shared that he's dealing with a sprained ankle, though it's unclear how severe the injury is at the moment.

Kawhi Leonard diagnosed with sprained ankle.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) March 15, 2026

Based on the latest betting odds to make the playoffs in the NBA, it appears Leonard's injury isn't one that'll keep him out for long. The Clippers, who still hold the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, are -245 to make the playoffs this season at FanDuel Sportsbook. For comparison, the No. 9-seeded Golden State Warriors are +182 to make the playoffs in the West.

Leonard has been one of the best players in the NBA this season, and he's helped the Clippers rebound from an awful 6-21 start to the season. Los Angeles is now over .500 (34-33), although a top-six spot in the West is going to be tough to grab. L.A. is 6.5 games back of the No. 6-seeded Denver Nuggets after Saturday's loss.

Hopefully for the Clippers, Leonard's injury won't keep him out for long. The Clippers have been awful in the 14 games that the All-Star forward has missed, going 4-10. Leonard has not missed a game since Feb. 26 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he's only missed four games in total since returning from a knee injury in November.

That has helped the Clippers go from the bottom of the Western Conference into a strong position in the play-in tournament field.

This season, Leonard is averaging 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from beyond the arc. Even though the Clippers moved on from James Harden and Ivica Zubac at the deadline, Leonard has kept them firmly in the playoff mix in the West.

For now, the -245 odds for the Clippers to make the playoffs signal that Kawhi should play enough down the stretch for them to earn a top-eight seed ahead of the play-in. The Clippers remain long shots to win the NBA Finals in the odds at FanDuel, sitting at +35000.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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