Kawhi Leonard had everyone confused on Friday when he left the Clippers-Lakers game abruptly in the fourth quarter. Leonard was having a solid game with 31 points, four rebounds and five assists on 11 of 19 shots, including 4 of 6 from deep. However, during a timeout, he had a conversation with coach Ty Lue before exiting the contest.
In that moment, Leonard showed no signs of pain. He walked back to the locker room on his own. The Clippers announced shortly that he was dealing with left ankle soreness. Leonard’s absence also raised suspicion for ESPN announcers. Here’s what one of them said:
“(Kawhi) doesn’t seem in pain, does not seem to be hobbling, kind of hovers around the bench and then starts to head back towards the Clippers locker room.”
The Clippers trailed by three when that happened. They still had a chance to win or tie the game. However, Kawhi Leonard’s absence hurt them down the stretch in the 125-122 loss. He was pivotal in keeping it close despite the Clippers trailing by 16 at one stage.
Ty Lue provides Kawhi Leonard injury update after abrupt exit
Clippers coach Ty Lue said Kawhi Leonard experienced stiffness in his ankle, leading to his exit. It seemed a precautionary call given Leonard’s injury history and workload lately. He played heavy minutes in the All-Star game and was active on the second night of a back-to-back.
Moreover, since James Harden’s trade departure, Leonard has shouldered a heavy burden on the court as the primary scorer. Leonard has played the last 12 consecutive games for LA since missing eight days with the same ankle injury.
Also read: John Collins injury update
