Clippers Injury Report vs. Kings: Things Are Looking Up for LA

After disappointing back-to-back losses, the Los Angeles Clippers fell to ninth place in the Western Conference with five games left in the regular season. In order to achieve their goal of making the playoffs, the Clippers can't afford to drop any more games, especially against teams that have little incentive to win, like the Sacramento Kings. Sunday's 9 pm clash in Sacramento gives the Clippers an excellent opportunity to get back on track.

Kawhi Leonard Is Not on the Clippers Injury Report

A big reason why is that the Clippers' injury report is short and clean ahead of the game. In addition to Bradley Beal and Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who are already out for the season, the Clippers only have Isaiah Jackson on the injury list. The fact that Kawhi Leonard, who has been playing through a wrist injury since last week, doesn't have an injury designation is a great sign for the Clippers. Both Leonard and Garland should play as many minutes as they can handle, especially since they had an extra day of rest after last playing on Thursday.

Jackson's absence, however, is more important than it may seem at first. Without him, the Clippers only have one healthy center on the roster in Brook Lopez. LA has had serious rebounding issues since Jackson has been sidelined. The former Pacers big man is dealing with an ankle sprain and remains without a timetable to return. Head coach Ty Lue will once again rely on small-ball lineups that include John Collins and Nicolas Batum at center.

Even with a big hole at center, the Clippers don't have any excuses against the tanking Kings. Sacramento is tied for the worst record in the Western Conference at 21-57. With four games left in their regular season, they would prefer not to win any more games the rest of the way as they maximize their lottery odds. Yet, they are riding a two-game winning streak after defeating the Raptors and the Pelicans earlier in the week.

The Kings have been playing without Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and De'Andre Hunter, who have been ruled out for the season. Russell Westbrook, Keegan Murray, and Malik Monk will also miss Sunday's game, leaving the Kings very short-handed. This means that rookies Nique Clifford, Dylan Cardwell, and Maxime Raynaud play a ton of minutes while players lower on the totem pole, like Killian Hayes, Daeqwon Plowden, and Doug McDermott, get extended runs off the bench.

The Clippers already lost to the Kings in March, so they can't afford to drop another game to their Pacific Division rivals. It's time to flip the script and finish the season strong.