Clippers Injury Report vs. Pelicans: LA's Kawhi Leonard Concern Grows

The Los Angeles Clippers have a long list of injuries at the worst possible time. With only three weeks left in the regular season, the Clippers have been hit with the injury bug.

First, it was Kawhi Leonard who sprained his ankle against the Sacramento Kings over the weekend. He proceeded to miss Monday's game against the Spurs before returning in New Orleans last night. He was hobbling and wincing throughout the game, suggesting that he may not have been 100% before suiting up.

After Leonard, it was Bennedict Mathurin, who was ruled out for the entire road trip as the Clippers manage his toe injury. He will miss at least two more games, including Thursday night's rematch against the Pelicans.

Add Darius Garland's lingering toe injury, and the fact that Bradley Beal and Yanic Konan Niederhauser have already been ruled out for the season, and the Clippers are not nearly at full strength with 13 games left in the regular season.

Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland Out vs. Pelicans on Thursday

Yet, the Clippers need their stars down the stretch to make the playoffs, giving Ty Lue a difficult task of balancing the short-term and long-term goals of the franchise. Unfortunately, they won't have them available on Thursday.

On the official injury report, the Clippers listed Leonard and Garland out, with an ankle sprain and injury management designations, respectively.

With Mathurin also out, the Clippers will be facing an uphill battle, especially on the offensive side of the ball. LA is missing its three primary shot creators, putting more responsibility on Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders to shoulder the load on that end of the floor. It's safe to assume that Bogdan Bogdanovic will find his way back into the rotation with the hopes of giving the Clippers some shooting and playmaking off the bench. Points will certainly be hard to come by for LA.

The Pelicans, on the other hand, will be without Dejounte Murray, who has yet to be cleared to play on back-to-back nights. The former All-Star guard has been on a tear with the Pelicans since returning from an Achilles rupture at the end of February. In his absence, the Pelicans will likely start without a traditional point guard in the lineup.

Regardless of the outcome of Thursday night's game, Clippers fans will be more concerned about Leonard's ankle going forward. Let's hope that he is sitting out for precautionary reasons, and he will be available when the Clippers take on the Mavs on Saturday.