Injury Report: Kawhi Leonard Ruled OUT vs. Detroit Pistons

With Monday night's game vs. the Detroit Pistons being the front half of a back to back, the LA Clippers have chosen to rest Kawhi Leonard with the intention of playing him on Tuesday vs. the Toronto Raptors. Up until this point, the Clippers had been opting to play Leonard vs. the inferior opponent in a back to back set, and rest him against the better team. They will be going against that method here, lining him up to play in front of his former Toronto Raptors fanbase.

While it is unclear if the opportunity to play in front of the Toronto crowd had anything to do with this decision making from the Clippers, it does make sense that they would ultimately attempt to rest him against inferior opponents when faced with a back to back. The Detroit Pistons are certainly less of a challenge than the Raptors, and the Clippers will be favored to win even without Leonard.

The Clippers having a fully-healthy rotation is likely another reason they felt comfortable resting Leonard against the inferior opponent in this back to back, because if the team was still as shorthanded as they have been in the past, it's harder to feel confident that the rest of the group can take care of business against a bottom-tier team.

The Clippers and Pistons will tip-off at 4:00 PM PST without Kawhi Leonard.

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