The LA Clippers take on the Lakers on Tuesday night in a crucial NBA Cup clash between two undefeated teams in West Group B. The winner of this game will likely end up winning the group and advance to NBA Cup quarterfinals. For the Clippers, however, the In-Season Tournament could not be further from being their top priority. Sitting at 5-12. the Clippers desperately need to turn their season around. With Kawhi Leonard having returned from his ten-game absence on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Clippers will feel better about their chances to bounce back.
As usual, however, Leonard gave the fans a minor scare two minutes into the Cavs game. He checked himself out of the game and went to the locker room, but later returned to play 26 minutes, finishing with 20 points, three rebounds, two assists, and three steals on 6/13 shooting from the field. There was some fear among Clippers fans about whether Leonard would pop back up on the injury report heading into Tuesday.
Joey Linn of Clippers on SI, however, reported that Leonard will suit up against the Lakers with no injury designation.
Clippers News: Kawhi Leonard Is Ready to Go on Tuesday vs. Lakers
The Clippers only listed Bogdan Bogdanovic as questionable with a hip injury, The veteran shooting guard had already missed the Clippers’ previous two games. Bradley Beal, Derrick Jones Jr., and Jordan Miller remain sidelined.
The Lakers, on the other hand, will be without Deandre Ayton who is dealing with a knee injury, but are completely healthy otherwise.
After a six-game road trip where they went 1-5, the Clippers are back in LA. After the clash against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, the Clippers will return to Intuit Dome for back-to-back games against Memphis and Dallas. It’s safe to assume that Leonard will miss at least one of those matchups for injury management reasons. After that, the Clippers go on another five-game road trip, that includes visits to Minnesota and Oklahoma City.
This stretch will likely define the Clippers season. If they can’t show signs of life, they will dig themselves too big of a hole to get out of in the loaded Western Conference. This requires Leonard to stay healthy, and James Harden and Ivica Zubac to maintain their current level of play. Tuesday’s performance against the Lakers will give Clippers fans more of an insight about how much hope they should have for this season.
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