Is Kawhi Leonard playing tonight? Latest injury update for Clippers vs. Mavs, Game 5

Surprisingly enough, the Los Angeles Clippers' two wins of their first-round playoff matchup versus the Dallas Mavericks have come without All-Star wing Kawhi Leonard in the lineup, losing the two contests he has suited up for. 

Leonard has been dealing with right knee soreness since late in the regular season, which is alarming because he had undergone a procedure to repair a torn meniscus in the same knee roughly a year ago due to an injury he suffered against the Phoenix Suns in their postseason matchup last season. He also tore his right ACL in the 2021 Western Conference Semifinals when the Clippers faced the Utah Jazz.

After sitting out Game 4 in Dallas, will Leonard be available for Game 5 in Los Angeles on Wednesday as the Clippers look to break a 2-2 series tie?

Is Kawhi Leonard playing tonight? Latest injury update for Clippers vs. Mavs, Game 5

The Clippers have already listed Leonard as out for tonight's high-stakes clash with the Mavericks, per the NBA's official injury report.

Lawrence Frank, Los Angeles' president of basketball operations, addressed the media this past Sunday, telling reporters that Leonard's timeline to return remains unclear and he will remain sidelined "until he can show that he can make all the movements that he needs to make."

That is not what you want to hear if you are a Clippers fan. But on the flip side, Leonard has looked like a shell of being one of the premier players in the NBA we've become accustomed to seeing during the Round 1 playoff clash. He has averaged 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals per contest, making zero of his five three-point attempts in the two games he's appeared in this series.

Perhaps sitting Leonard as the Clippers try to buy him more time to recover from his knee injury is the best decision for the player and the team.