Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard missed Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Will he play in the rematch on Friday night?
The NBA regular season is nearing its end, and teams will be battling for the six playoff and four play-in tournament spots.
The Los Angeles Clippers are looking to avoid the play-in tournament, as they currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference as of Friday, March 31.
On Wednesday night, the Clippers were without star player Kawhi Leonard, who sat out due to personal reasons. At the time of the announcement, head coach Tyronn Lue said that they expected this to be a one-game absence for Leonard.
But what about for the rematch on Friday night in Memphis?
Will Kawhi Leonard play in Clippers vs. Grizzlies game on March 31?
Per the NBA’s injury report for all March 31 games (published in the morning), Leonard is listed as questionable due to personal reasons.
There was a promising update on Friday, as Los Angeles Times reporter Andrew Greif tweeted out that Leonard was participating in the team’s morning shootaround, and he was wearing his uniform.
Without Leonard on Wednesday, the Clippers picked up the 141-132 victory over the Grizzlies, thanks in part to Russell Westbrook. The guard, who joined the Clippers after starting off the year with the Lakers, scored a team-high 36 points while shooting 13-for-18 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the three-point line. Westbrook also dished out 10 assists to pick up a double-double.
This season, Leonard is averaging 23.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, while posting a 51.3 field goal percentage, and 41.4 three-point percentage, all through 47 games played.
With the Clippers having just five games remaining on the year entering Friday night, Leonard is questionable to play. But based off the latest update, it would not be shocking to see him play against the Grizzlies.