Clippers Injury Report: Kawhi Leonard to Miss At Least 2 More Games

The Los Angeles Clippers will be without their star forward for the rest of their road trip.

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The Los Angeles Clippers had one of their best wins of the season on Friday, defeating the Raptors in Toronto despite falling behind by double digits in the first half. Playing without Kawhi Leonard, John Collins, and Derrick Jones Jr., the Clippers were able to get enough from their backups in addition to a 31-point, 10-assist showing from James Harden to win their fifth straight game. At 18-23, the Clippers are firmly in the play-in race.

Unfortunately, they have to continue to rely heavily on Harden and the bench for a little longer. The Clippers revealed on Sunday that Leonard will miss the remainder of the team's road trip with a knee contusion. He will be sidelined against the Wizards on Monday and the Bulls on Tuesday. His first opportunity to return will be against the Lakers at Intuit Dome on Thursday.

The Clippers say Kawhi Leonard suffered a left knee contusion last Saturday and as a result is dealing with some knee irritation.

He will return home for treatment and miss the remainder of the road trip. Kawhi will be reassessed when the team gets back to LA.

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) January 18, 2026

Kawhi Leonard to Miss At Least 2 More Games

Leonard will continue his treatment in LA and will be reassessed when the Clippers return from the East Coast. The 34-year-old first suffered the knee contusion in Detroit eight days ago, but has been playing through it, despite being limited to 30 minutes per game. He has also been dealing with a right ankle sprain since January 7. The injuries proved to be too much for Leonard, who had to sit out on Friday, missing his first game since November 22.

After Thursday night's Los Angeles derby, the Clippers don't play again until Sunday. The coaching staff may choose to give him that night off to give him additional rest to properly recover from both the knee inflammation and the ankle sprain.

It's important to note that the knee ailment is not the same knee that Leonard suffered an ACL and a meniscus tear. This should help Clippers fans rest a little easier, but the organization has been far from transparent with prior injuries, so it's best to maintain a healthy level of caution.

The Clippers should have more than enough to beat the Wizards and the Bulls without Leonard, especially since John Collins is available to play, per the official injury report. However, LA is 3-8 this season when Leonard isn't available. So, it's safe to assume that it will not be easy, especially on the second night of a back-to-back in Chicago on Tuesday.

As long as Leonard doesn't miss extended time and returns sooner rather than later, however, Clippers fans should feel good about the second half of the season, regardless of what happens in the remainder of this road trip.