Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard says knee ‘didn’t respond’ as hoped; status in air

DALLAS — Clippers star Kawhi Leonard mentioned the irritation in his surgically repaired proper knee didn’t reply the best way he had hoped after Sport 2, and after gutting out 25 minutes in Friday’s 101-90 loss to the Mavericks, his standing for Sunday’s Sport 4 is in query.

Leonard had 9 factors and 9 rebounds however didn’t appear like his regular self in Sport 3 at American Airways Middle. With their franchise participant restricted, the Clippers unraveled and now path 2-1 within the best-of-seven collection.

Leonard was requested if he’ll be capable of play Sunday afternoon with lower than 48 hours between Video games 3 and 4.

“Yeah,” Leonard mentioned. “Proper now, I will see [how it feels] tomorrow. However I need to play.”

Leonard missed 23 days with irritation in his proper knee and sat out the ultimate eight video games of the common season and Sport 1 of this first-round collection towards Dallas.

He logged 35 minutes in his return Tuesday, ending with 15 factors, seven rebounds and 4 steals in a 96-93 loss in Los Angeles in Sport 2.

Coach Ty Lue mentioned Thursday that Leonard had come out of Sport 2 feeling good. However Leonard acknowledged after Sport 3 that his knee “simply did not reply the best way we wished” after his return.

“However we’re going to get it proper,” Leonard mentioned. “Time will inform. However we’re doing all the appropriate issues.”

Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, had described the irritation as “unpredictable” and “cussed.”

Leonard tore his ACL within the second spherical in 2021. He got here again after which tore his meniscus within the first spherical final postseason towards Phoenix, lacking the ultimate three video games of the five-game collection.

Frank mentioned Leonard’s surgically repaired ACL and meniscus have been sound structurally however that the irritation has been problematic.

On Friday night time, Leonard threw down two dunks within the second half, together with one on an alley-oop. However there have been instances when he seemed as if he lacked his ordinary burst working down the courtroom. He performed simply 10 minutes within the first half and sat for the ultimate 3:01 of the second quarter.

Lue mentioned he didn’t assume Leonard was feeling something new together with his harm however that the workforce is making an attempt to handle it.

Leonard was requested if the irritation has returned.

“It was fairly good,” Leonard mentioned. “First sport did not reply the best way we wished it to. And tonight it was both play restricted minutes or not play. And I wished to be on the ground to assist the workforce, and that is what the outcomes are.

“Irritating that it occurred to me this late within the season, however we’ll hold going. We’ll get it proper.”

With Leonard unable to play his ordinary minutes and Paul George mired in foul bother, Lue needed to alter his rotations and play James Harden (21 factors, 5 assists) for 44 minutes.

George mentioned the workforce can see how exhausting Leonard is making an attempt to combat his method again from his knee harm.

“All of us need the very best for him,” mentioned George, who was restricted to seven factors on account of foul bother. “He is battling not with the ability to be 100% to be right here for us, however we obtained to cowl, choose up the slack and admire what he is given us.

“He is nonetheless making an attempt to swimsuit up and provides us no matter he can. I positively really feel for him understanding he is been working exhausting and once more to get up to now the place we need to make a [playoff] push and he cannot be 100% proper now.”