The Los Angeles Clippers moved down to ninth place in the Western Conference following a disappointing four-game losing streak. They had the inside track to make the playoffs out of the play-in a week ago, but things have changed dramatically since then. A big reason why is the injury bug that has hit LA at the worst time.
After spraining his ankle against the Sacramento Kings last week, Kawhi Leonard missed two of the next three games for the Clippers. He suited up in New Orleans on the first night of the back-to-back on Wednesday, but didn’t look 100%. He was clearly in discomfort and wasn’t moving well. He settled for jumpers more than usual and wasn’t as aggressive as he had been over the last few months. Therefore, when he was ruled out on the second end of the back-to-back, few Clippers fans were surprised.
Mathurin Out, Garland & Leonard Playing in Clippers-Mavs
Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin were also sidelined in that game, understandably leading to the Clippers’ struggling to score the ball. Garland sat out for precautionary reasons as he hasn’t been cleared to play two nights in a row. Mathurin, on the other hand, has been ruled out for the three-game road trip for toe injury management reasons. He doesn’t have a timeline to return yet, and he remains out against the Mavs.
Garland should be ready to play his usual minutes on Saturday, but whether that will be the case for Leonard remains to be seen. The superstar forward will suit up in Dallas, per team insider Joey Linn, but there hasn’t been any word on a minutes restriction.
Leonard saw 29 minutes of action in New Orleans on Wednesday. When he was playing through an ankle tweak back in January after stepping on a fan in New York, he didn’t miss any time but was limited to 30 minutes a game. How much Ty Lue and the coaching staff will push Leonard in the remaining 12 games of the season will be a fascinating storyline down the stretch.
The Clippers should have enough to defeat the Mavericks, regardless of how many minutes Garland and Leonard play. Dallas has hardly been competitive in recent weeks, going 2-11 in their last 13 games. They have lost nine games by double digits in that stretch. At this point in the season, they are more interested in maximizing their lottery odds than winning games. Plus, they are without Brandon Williams, in addition to Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively, who are out for the season, giving the Clippers an even bigger advantage.
