Clippers Injury Report vs. Spurs: Will Kawhi Leonard Play?

The Los Angeles Clippers look to wash the bad taste of losing to the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night as they host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. Perhaps more concerning than the loss to the worst team in the West, however, was watching Kawhi Leonard limp to the locker room in the fourth quarter. The star forward tweaked his ankle when guarding DeMar DeRozan and was quickly ruled out. The Clippers listed him as doubtful to play with a left ankle sprain, and fans have been holding their breath ever since, hoping for another positive injury update.

Unfortunately, that update never came. Instead, the Clippers ruled Leonard out for the game six hours before tipoff. Leonard joined Bradley Beal and Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who have already been ruled out for the season, on the official injury report.

Dylan Harper, Luke Kornet Out for Spurs Kawhi Leonard Out for Clippers

Even though Leonard will officially miss the game against his former team, Clippers fans shouldn't be overly concerned. The fact that the 34-year-old forward was close to suiting up two days after the ankle tweak gives him a decent chance to play against the Pelicans on Wednesday.

The Spurs, on the other hand, will be without their star rookie, Dylan Harper. The 20-year-old point guard will miss his second straight game with a calf contusion. Joining him on the injury report is backup center Luke Kornet, who is dealing with knee soreness.

Since the Spurs travel to Sacramento to take on the Kings tomorrow night, it makes sense for them to be cautious about minor injuries, especially since their playoff seed as the No. 2 in the West is all but guaranteed. They are 3.5 games behind the Thunder and seven games ahead of the No. 3 Lakers. This is also important to keep in mind, as head coach Mitch Johnson may not want to push his starters too hard in terms of minutes, especially Victor Wembanyama.

The Spurs and the Clippers could also be potential first-round opponents. The most likely regular-season finish for the Clippers is the eighth seed. That means that if they can beat the Suns in the first play-in game, they would earn the No. 7 seed and the right to play the Spurs. Monday's game could be a preview of that matchup, but ideally, it will also be the last time the Clippers play without Leonard this season.