Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard had a knee injection in early April, league sources said. Leonard missed the final eight games of the regular season and has not played since March 31.
The All-Star forward had his healthiest season since arriving in Los Angeles, playing in 68 games (his most since 2016-17) while averaging a career-high 34.3 minutes per game this season .
Without Leonard, the Clippers finished the year 4-4 and found themselves in fourth place in the Western Conference with a first-round matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said Wednesday that the team is preparing to have Leonard on the court for the series, which begins Sunday.
“We’re taking it day by day,” Lue said. “He’s improving and we’ll see how much he continues to improve.”
Leonard averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists this season, making his first All-Star team since 2021. He has a well-documented injury history, which includes multiple right knee injuries . He missed all of 2021-22 while recovering from surgery for a torn ACL and missed almost the entire 2017-18 season with right quadriceps tendinopathy.
The Clippers went 7-7 without Leonard this season and are 2-1 against the Mavericks this season. The Clippers and Mavericks have met in the first round of the playoffs three times in the last five seasons.
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