The Los Angeles Clippers can pretty much clinch a spot in the NBA Playoffs with a win over the conference-rival Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
Los Angeles finds itself as the fourth seed in the Western Conference with a 50-28 record. It is two games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans in the race to avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament.
That’s the good news. The bad news? These Clippers continue to deal with injury issues. Star forward Kawhi Leonard has missed each of the past four games with a right knee injury. He’s already been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against Phoenix.
The Clippers also ruled guard James Harden out with foot inflammation. He was just recently added to the injury report after complaining of pain over the weekend. Russell Westbrook will make his first start since November in Harden’s stead.
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Los Angeles Clippers injuries threaten to derail season
One way or another, injuries were going to have an impact on the Clippers’ season. This is what happens when you rely on two aging veterans in Leonard and Paul George who have suffered through numerous injuries throughout the past few years.
Both remained relatively healthy this season prior to Leonard going down with the aforementioned knee injury. He’s now set to miss a fifth consecutive game.
- Kawhi Leonard stats (2023-24): 23.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.6 APG, 52.5% shooting
Dating back to the 2021 NBA Playoffs, Leonard has appeared in just two of the Clippers’ past 18 postseason games due to a multitude of injuries.
As for Harden, he’s been the topic of some drama internally in Southern California. That’s epecially true after George called him out following recent struggles.
The backdrop here is a Clippers team that could be facing a first-round matchup against either the Dallas Mavericks or aforementioned Suns in the Western Conference Playoffs.
Following Tuesday’s game, Los Angeles closes up shop on the regular season with another game against Phoenix before home dates with the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets.
It’s not going to be about how the Clippers close out the regular season. Instead, it’s going to be all about health heading into the playoffs.