Injury Update: Kawhi Leonard OUT vs. Pelicans

The LA Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard against the New Orleans Pelicans

© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

After not practicing on Saturday, LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will not play in Sunday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. This will be the third-straight game that Leonard has missed with tightness in his knee. The team is listing him out with right knee injury management.

With this being the first half of a back-to-back set, Leonard's availability on Monday will be something to watch for. He is not currently cleared to play both games in a back-to-back set, but if he ends up missing Monday as well, there will be a level of concern that these absences are not just injury management, but rather some level of a setback.

Leonard's absence in both games vs. OKC had some people already speculating this, but since the team was only there for a brief road trip, it made sense for Leonard to head back for treatment in LA. With a back-to-back immediately following that two-game set in OKC, Leonard was already expected to miss one of these upcoming games, so any major concern should be withheld until Monday.

If Leonard misses Monday's game as well, it would likely be more accurate for his absence to be labeled as knee tightness rather than injury management, unless there has been a misunderstanding as to what the team's plan for him is. After Sunday, Leonard will have played in just two of the team's first six games.

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