Kawhi Leonard Injury Update: Latest on 2x Finals MVP’s status for rivals week game vs Lakers (January 23)

Kawhi Leonard is not on the LA Clippers’ injury report for Tuesday’s rivals week game against the LA Lakers. Leonard dealt with a hip injury that kept him out of four straight games between Dec. 21 and Dec. 29. He made his return to the lineup on New Year’s Day and hasn’t missed a game since then.

The Clippers are fourth in the West with a 27-14 record. Kawhi Leonard has been a key part of their success, averaging 23.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 37 games. His health will play a crucial role in deciding the team’s postseason future.

As per their injury report, the Clippers will be without Ivica Zubac (right calf strain) and Moussa Diabate (right hand metacarpal fracture) on Tuesday.

Kawhi Leonard injury update

Leonard managed to stay off the injury report after missing four games with a hip injury in December. Since his return, he played 10 games, with the Clippers going 8-2 in those games.

What happened to Kawhi Leonard?

Leonard missed four games in December with a left hip bruise. He returned to action against the Miami Heat on Jan. 1. The two-time NBA Finals MVP scored 24 points in his return.

Kawhi Leonard has a history of being injury prone. He missed the entire 2021-22 season after tearing his ACL during the 2020-21 playoffs. He also missed 30 games in 2022-23 as load management during his recovery process from the injury.

Having missed just four games this season, Leonard is in the midst of his healthiest season since 2016-17, when he played 74 games for the San Antonio Spurs.

Kawhi Leonard and Clippers complete fourth-quarter comeback against Nets on Sunday

The Brooklyn Nets led the Clippers 99-84 after the third quarter on Sunday. LA outscored Brooklyn 41-15 in the final quarter to get a 125-114 win at home. Leonard scored 14 of his 21 points in the final five minutes of the game.

James Harden, who had a double-double (24 points and 10 assists), spoke about the win after the game:

“They came out and punched us in the mouth and in that fourth quarter we played Clipper basketball, got some stops and the rest is history.”

Clippers coach Ty Lue touched upon Leonard’s performance in the final few minutes:

“He finally caught his rhythm. He’d been under the weather and wasn’t able to practice yesterday and we didn’t know if he was going to be able to go today.”

While the Clippers managed to get out of the hole that they dug for themselves on Sunday, that might not be the case Tuesday. The LA Lakers lead the season series 2-0. If the Clippers are to finally win one against their eternal rivals, Leonard needs to start the game hot and not wait until the final five minutes.