Is Kawhi Leonard playing tonight against Boston Celtics? Latest update on 5-time NBA All-Star's availability (Dec. 23)
Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers play the Boston Celtics two days before Christmas at the Crypto.com Arena. This is the first time that these teams face for the 2023-24 season, and last year they split their season series 1-1.
For those who want to catch the action, the television broadcast rights are carried by Bally Sports SoCal and NBC Sports Boston. NBA League Pass subscribers can enjoy choosing from both feeds through an online live stream.
According to the recent Los Angeles Clippers injury report, they have three players on the list. Mason Plumlee is expected to be back on the team by mid-January while Mousse Diabate still has no timeline for when to return from his knee injury.
Kawhi Leonard is marked as "questionable" due to a hip injury and he should be a game-time decision by the Clippers. The rest of the team is available to play against the Boston Celtics.
What happened to Kawhi Leonard?
Known as the poster boy of 'load management', Kawhi Leonard has missed only one game so far this season and he has already played in the team's first 27 games.
On Dec. 21, Leonard was diagnosed with a hip injury that made him miss the Clippers' recent game against the OKC Thunder. The team's loss snapped their eight-game losing streak and the Clippers record falls to 17-11.
With Leonard's injury, Amir Coffey replaced him in the starting lineup and the Clippers maintain the fifth-best record in the NBA Western Conference standings.
Kawhi Leonard's stats vs Boston Celtics?
The last time that the Clippers and Celtics faced off was way back on Dec. 29, 2022. The Celtics won that game, 116-110, and Kawhi Leonard was active in the roster.
In 36 minutes, the two-time NBA champion led the team with 26 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three triples. He also shot an accurate 11-of-36 from the field.
Leonard got help mainly from Paul George who had 24 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals, while Norman Powell came off the bench with 19 points, four rebounds and two assists.
It is still not sure that Leonard will play against the Boston Celtics but his importance on the team showed when they lost to the OKC Thunder.
After this game with the Celtics, the LA Clippers will be hosting the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 26 and cap off the year with a matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies.