Kawhi Leonard will not play against the Rockets in Game 6 tonight
In a pivotal Game 6 between the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets, it looks like Spurs’ superstar Kawhi Leonard will not be suiting up.
The San Antonio Spurs are looking to effectively end the Houston Rockets’ season in Game 6 on Thursday night. It’s going to be difficult, as the Rockets will be at home and energized, looking to keep their season alive in this elimination game.
It will get even tougher for the San Antonio Spurs, who will be missing their biggest star, Kawhi Leonard, according to head coach Greg Popovich.
Per Coach Pop, Kawhi Leonard will not play tonight
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 11, 2017
In place of Kawhi Leonard, Jonathon Simmons will be making his first start for the series. He was a key component in Game 5 and Coach Popovich is rewarding him with the starting job in Game 6.
The Spurs came away with a huge win in Game 5 without their superstar, Leonard, down the stretch in the fourth quarter and in overtime. Manu Ginobili was vintage Manu circa 2007 and Danny Green stepped up to hit some big shots.
Leonard hurt his ankle in Game 5 and had a noticeable limp after the game walking into the locker room. During the morning shootaround, it was reported that Leonard looked normal and might be ready to go, but the Spurs are trying to be cautious tonight.
It makes sense, as the Spurs has a Game 7 in their back pocket, even if they were to lose tonight against the Rockets.
The Klaw has been sensational for the Spurs this series on both ends of the floor, guarding James Harden and also scoring 27.8 points, 4.7 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game. Simmons will be taking his place after scoring 12 points in Game 5 to go along with his lock-down defense on Harden.
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Looks like Kawhi Leonard is human after all, as he’ll be missing tonight’s game. Just don’t be surprised if the robot returns fully charged in Game 7, should it come to that.