Los Angeles Clippers will face elimination from the playoffs in Game 6 against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. According to many rumors, Kawhi Leonard will not be in the Clippers' lineup with the season on the line. Leonard was declared out of Game 6 in Dallas on Friday. The Clippers are on the verge of elimination after trailing 3-2 in their best-of-7 series against the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas Mavericks lead their first-round NBA playoff series 3-2 after defeating the Clippers 123-93 in Game 5 on Wednesday. Unlike in the first-round series between the two teams in 2021, when Leonard scored 45 points to help the Clippers avoid elimination in Game 6 at Dallas, LA will not have a franchise player to force a Game 7.
Kawhi Leonard has only participated in games 2 and 3 of the series due to right knee soreness. Even when he has been able to play, the veteran star has struggled, scoring only 24 points in two games on 11-for-24 shooting. The Clippers failed to win both games.
Kawhi Leonard has been important player for Los Angeles Clippers
Before the playoffs, Leonard has been out since March 31, missing Los Angeles Clippers' last eight regular season games as well as Game 1 of the series against the Mavericks. Apart from Leonard, Terance Mann will be unavailable in Los Angeles. Mann had started the previous five games in the series, with an average of 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds.
After missing the last eight regular-season games and Game 1 of the series, Leonard returned to play 35 minutes and score 15 points in Game 2. But Leonard stated his knee did not respond as he had intended. Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations, stated that Leonard had swelling.
The two-time Finals MVP played 25 minutes, scoring nine points and grabbing nine rebounds, but he did not move like he often does in Game 3. On Sunday, Frank said that Leonard will be out until he can move like he did in Game 2, and his comeback date is questionable.