LOS ANGELES– Clippers Star Kawhi Leonard left Crypto.com Arena in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night due to back spasms, and his status is uncertain for the team’s upcoming back-to-back road games.
The Clippers said Leonard was suffering from chest spasms. According to a source, Leonard went home to rest rather than sit in discomfort at the arena.
Coach Tyronn Lue said Leonard had been dealing with the issue for a few days and the team wasn’t sure if the franchise star would be able to face Minnesota. After Leonard’s departure, the Clippers blew a 22-point lead and lost 118-100 to Wolves.
“I didn’t know if he was going to go this morning,” Lue said after the game. “But he came shooting, got treatment, did what he had to do and tried to get on the court and play today. It just didn’t relax for him.”
He was asked if Leonard would fly with the team Wednesday for Thursday’s game at Chicago Bulls — which is followed by Friday’s tilt at New Orleans Pelicans — Lue said he wasn’t sure.
“I hope so,” Lue said.
Leonard left Tuesday’s game after playing 12 minutes and scoring six points. He was seen on camera cautiously exiting the arena before halftime.
This has been Leonard’s healthiest season as a Clipper; he has played in 58 of 64 games so far, his most since joining the franchise in 2019.
But the Clippers aren’t just dealing with Leonard’s injury. James Harden treats a shoulder injury. He was listed on the injury report with a strained left shoulder before facing the visiting Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks Last weekend. Since he put on after his exchange with the Philadelphia 76ersHarden hasn’t missed a game this season.
“We’ll see tomorrow how it feels,” Harden said.
Leonard played in the Clippers’ 112-102 win over Chicago on Saturday. But he and his fellow All-Star Paul Georges missed Sunday’s 124-117 loss to Milwaukee. Leonard was held out with left groin soreness, while George sat out with left knee soreness.
Both returned to play Tuesday. George finished with 22 points, but the Clippers suffered a complete collapse after Leonard’s exit.
They led Minnesota 57-35 with 5:13 left in the first half only to see the Wolves beat them 79-37 to turn the game into a 114-94 rout with 4:10 left in the fourth. Minnesota won the season series without an injured All-Star center Cities of Karl-Anthony.
“I’m just mentally tough,” Lue said of what went wrong for the Clippers. “They’re a good team without KAT. They’re going to make runs, and we can’t put our heads down and feel sorry for ourselves. … But you just have to be mentally stronger when things aren’t going well .There are a lot of things we didn’t do very well.
“They played harder than us, that’s for sure,” the coach continued. “It definitely annoys me. Just being tougher mentally when things get tough. You have to get tougher.
“We can talk about projects, we can talk about a lot of other things, but we just have to be mentally stronger and physically better.”
Anthony Edwards scored 30 points for the Wolves (45-21), and Nickel Alexander-Walker added 25.
Minnesota is a half-game away from Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggetswho are tied for the lead in the Western Conference standings.
The Clippers (41-23) are fourth in the West, on a two-game skid and unsure if they will have Leonard for the next trip, while Harden is also banged up.
“We have to pick up the pieces,” George said. “Let’s let Kawhi take the time he needs. We just need him healthy. But we’ll get him back, keep going. We’re not the only team losing a man.”
