Clippers Injury Report vs. Thunder: Are Kawhi Leonard & Darius Garland Playing?

The Los Angeles Clippers are on the second night of their final back-to-back of the season, hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. The Thunder have all but clinched the overall No. 1 seed for the playoffs, while the Clippers are desperately trying to hold onto the eighth seed with three games left in the regular season.

Ty Lue has to find the right balance between chasing the favorable eighth spot at the end of the season and keeping his players fresh for the postseason. Therefore, many were wondering whether Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland would suit up against OKC after playing against the Mavs last night. Leonard played 30, and Garland played 28 minutes in the win over Dallas.

It turns out that the Clippers are choosing to rest Garland, but will have Leonard out there. On the official injury report, Garland was listed with a "left toe, injury management" designation. Leonard, who dealt with an ankle sprain and a wrist injury in recent weeks, is entirely off the injury report.

Kawhi Leonard Playing, Darius Garland Sitting vs. OKC on Wednesday

Isaiah Jackson continues to be sidelined with an ankle sprain, meaning that the Clippers will be shorthanded against the elite OKC frontcourt. We will see significant minutes with John Collins at center.

The Thunder, on the other hand, are at full strength. They barely broke a sweat at Crypto.com Arena last night, defeating the Lakers by 36 points. No one on the team played over 28 minutes in the complete demolition. So, they will be well-rested as they have no players on the injury report other than rookie Thomas Sorber, who is already ruled out for the season. The Thunder clinch home-court advantage throughout the playoffs with a win over LA, so they should have all the motivation they need.

Although a win against the Thunder would be a nice bonus for the Clippers, LA's focus is entirely on Friday's clash with the Blazers. If the Clippers lose to the Blazers in Portland, they will lose the tiebreaker and therefore could finish ninth if LA and Portland finish with the same record.

Therefore, one could expect the Clippers to take it relatively easy against OKC, especially if they fall behind early. Instead of pushing Leonard's minutes, Ty Lue may save him for Friday. The start the Clippers get off to on Wednesday will determine how far Lue will push his starters against the best team in the league.