Is Kawhi Leonard hurt? Can he play? Is the two-time NBA champion doing the load management thing? Will he play in Game 5 of the Clippers’ first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night?
Outside noise can be deafening, especially when the conversation centers on why one of the league’s biggest stars isn’t playing at a time when his team desperately needs a victory. Has Leonard’s right knee, which prevented him from playing in Games 3 and 4, recovered enough to help the Clippers avoid elimination?
With his team facing a 3-1 series deficit against the Suns, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue spent much of Monday’s practice trying to quiet the chatter and speculation. Leonard did not practice but was at the facility to receive treatment.
But that didn’t stop Lue from teasingly saying that Leonard would be ready to play (“There’s always a possibility, yes”) before getting real about the situation.
“He’s definitely hurt,” Lue said. “It’s not load management where he’s taking time off. He’s shown in his past that he’s played through injuries in the playoffs. If it’s something he can’t play through, then it has to be pretty serious.
“We’re not talking about him sitting out because he’s load managing or he’s tired or nothing like that. It’s an actual thing. What the outside is saying, who cares? My job is to make sure we’re in good spirits. I trust the guys that we have on the floor now.”
And that does not include Paul George, who amped up his workout Monday, and Leonard, both of whom are listed as out for Tuesday’s game, according to the team.
That leaves Lue to focus on who he will have on the court when the series resumes at the Footprint Center. Russell Westbrook and Norman Powell, both of whom have stepped up in the two stars’ absence, will again have the task of leading the Clippers against the tandem of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, who continue to dominate offensively.
Durant and Booker are averaging a combined 62.6 points and 12.3 assists per game. As a team, the Suns are averaging 118.5 points, taking advantage of the Clippers’ numerous turnovers (14.8 per game) and wobbly shooting.
“I trust the guys we have on the floor now. We’re doing some good things, and there’s some things we’ve just got to clean up and get better with, especially when you’re playing a highly talented team like Phoenix,” Lue said.
“There’s things you’ve got to clean up. Your margin for error is very slim, and if we clean up a few things, we’ve been in every game and we’ve been close. But we’ve got to be able to get over the hump and we do that by taking care of the basketball, rebounding the basketball, and then just try to keep these guys off the free-throw line as much as possible.”
The Suns are shooting 79.2% from the line and getting there 30 times per game, compared to the Clippers, who have made fewer trips to the line (23.8) but are making 82.1% of their foul shots.
The more important statistic is that 95.3% of teams facing a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-five series go home.
Still, the Clippers don’t sound like they are making vacation plans just yet. If they happen to get past the Suns on Tuesday, Game 6 would be Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.
“In the (past) two fourth quarters, I think we found something. We found a way to play, and I think if we continue to play like that while being smart on the defensive end, we’ll give ourselves a good shot to win the game,” Clippers guard Terance Mann said.
Mann said the team needs to be “conscious of how we need to play. Like keep reiterating it, talking about it in the huddles, and just playing like it.”
CLIPPERS AT SUNS
What: Western Conference first-round series, Game 5
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix
TV/Radio: Bally Sports SoCal, TNT, 1150 AM
