With their season on the line, the Clippers will be without their biggest star once again in Game 5 against the Suns on Tuesday night.
Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out and will miss his third straight playoff game with a right knee sprain. He reportedly suffered the injury in Game 1 and re-aggravated it in Game 2 before missing Games 3 and 4 completely.
On the brink of elimination, the absence of Leonard could be devastating to the Clippers' playoff hopes. They face a 3-1 series deficit and need three straight wins to advance to the second round for the first time since 2021.
Here's the latest on Leonard's status ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday night.
Is Kawhi Leonard playing vs. Suns tonight?
Leonard has been officially listed as out for Game 5.
The five-time All-Star initially sprained his right knee during a Game 1 victory over the Suns before re-aggravating the injury in a Game 2 loss. He was forced to watch on as the Clippers dropped both Game 3 and Game 4 to fall to a 3-1 series deficit. He'll now miss his third straight game this Tuesday night.
Leonard missed 30 regular season games this year due to a combination of minor injuries and load management. However, Lue said that Leonard's current injury is indeed significant enough to prevent him from suiting up.
“If it’s something that he can’t play through, then it has to be pretty serious," he said. "We’re not talking about he’s sitting out because of load management or he’s tired or nothing like that. It’s an actual thing.”
A torn ACL in his right knee forced Leonard to miss the entirety of the 2021-22 season. But ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the sprain is unrelated to any previous issues with his knee.
Leonard aggravated knee in Game 1, played through it in Game 2 and is expected to be day-to-day ahead of Game 4 on Saturday, source tells ESPN. Injury isn't related to his previous ACL injury. https://t.co/v7mXgQLokN
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 20, 2023
The injury couldn't have come at a worse time for Leonard, who was off to a great start in the 2023 postseason. He dropped 38 and 31 points in Games 1 and 2, respectively, to lead his team in scoring.
He now joins fellow Clippers star Paul George on the sideline. George has been out since March with a right knee sprain of his own suffered during a regular season game against the Thunder. He is expected to miss the entire first-round series against Phoenix and possibly more, if the Clippers advance.
MORE: Kevin Durant, Chris Paul praise Clippers' Russell Westbrook after Game 4
Clippers vs. Suns start time
- Date: Tuesday, April 25
- Time: 10 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. MT
Game 5 of Clippers vs. Suns will tip off shortly after 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local time) from Footprint Center in Phoenix on Tuesday, April 25.
What channel is Clippers vs. Suns on?
- Date: Tuesday, April 25
- TV channel: TNT
- Live stream: TNTdrama.com | Sling TV
Game 5 of Clippers vs. Suns will air on TNT. Viewers can also stream the game on TNTdrama.com or Sling TV.
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Clippers vs. Suns odds
With Leonard's status up in the air, the Clippers are major underdogs on the road in Game 5. The following odds are provided by BetMGM:
| Suns | Clippers | |
| Spread | -11.5 | +11.5 |
| Moneyline | -115 | -105 |
Clippers vs. Suns schedule, TV channels
| Date | Game | Time (ET)/Result | TV channel |
| April 16 | Game 1 | Clippers 115, Suns 110 | TNT |
| April 18 | Game 2 | Suns 123, Clippers 109 | TNT |
| April 20 | Game 3 | Suns 129, Clippers 124 | NBA TV |
| April 22 | Game 4 | Suns 112, Clippers 100 | TNT |
| April 25 | Game 5 | 10 p.m. | TNT |
| April 27 | Game 6* | 9 or 10 p.m. | TNT |
| April 29 | Game 7* | TBD at Suns | TNT |
* If necessary
