Kawhi Leonard out for Game 1 vs. Suns with right knee sprain
All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard will miss Game 1 of the Western Conference finals with a right knee sprain, per Saturday night’s official NBA injury report. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported earlier Saturday that Leonard would be remaining in Los Angeles to continue rehabbing the injury that forced him to miss the final two games of the Clippers’ second-round triumph over the Jazz.
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard (knee) will not travel with the team to Phoenix to continue rehabbing at home, league sources tell @YahooSports, @NBAonTNT.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 19, 2021
The Clippers won both those games without Leonard, rallying from 10 down to win Game 5 in Utah before stunning the Jazz with a 25-point comeback to take Game 6 and become the first team in NBA history to win a pair of series from 2-0 down in the same postseason.
A number of players stepped up in Leonard’s absence, including Paul George (32.5 points in Games 5-6), Reggie Jackson (24.5 ppg), Terance Mann (career-high 39 points in Game 6) and Marcus Morris (16.0 ppg).
The Suns will also be without a key player for Sunday’s opener (3:30 ET, ABC) as All-Star point guard Chris Paul remains in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
