Is Kawhi Leonard playing tonight? Latest injury update for Mavs vs. Clippers, Game 2

Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers is listed as questionable (right knee inflammation) for Game 2 tonight against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.

Leonard has missed the last nine games for the Clippers on account of his inflamed knee, which the Clippers are handling with the utmost sensitivity. Leonard has been kept out of all contact practice sessions of late but notably has participated in non-contact sessions over the past week (including on Monday).

At this point, the Clippers are treating Leonard’s availability on a day-to-day basis.

UPDATE at 4:35 p.m. PT: Leonard is at Crypto.com Arena and is planning to warm up for Tuesday's game, according to Law Murray of The Athletic.

Jared Greenberg of NBA TV reported the feeling from the Clippers is that he will play.

Why the Clippers will likely play it safe against the Mavs

The argument for keeping Leonard out of tonight’s battle points to a three-day break between Game 2 and Game 3, during which Leonard would presumably inch closer to full health as the series moves to its pivotal sequence. The Clippers’ establishment of a 1-0 lead in the series further supports this strategy.

On the other hand, every playoff game against a Luka Doncic team is vital, and Los Angeles would be in a difficult bind if they found themselves heading to Dallas in a 1-1 series. Tonight’s game is undoubtedly one in which Leonard’s absence would be sorely felt.

Leonard played over 60 regular season games this year for the first time as a member of the Clippers, but his playoff availability for Los Angeles has been a story of terribly ill fortune.

After appearing in all 13 playoff games for the Clippers in his first season with the team (2019-20), Leonard suffered a partial tear of his right ACL during Game 4 of Los Angeles’ second round series against the Utah Jazz in 2021. The injury led to offseason surgery for Leonard, and he missed the entire 2021-22 season, at the end of which the Leonard-less Clippers failed to advance past the Play-In Tournament.

Leonard returned to action last season, but his right knee betrayed him once again at the start of the 2023 playoffs. A torn meniscus sidelined Leonard beyond Game 2 of a first-round series versus the Phoenix Suns, and the Clippers were eliminated in five games.

Unfortunately for the Clippers of recent years, serious title contention very much rests on the health of Kawhi Leonard’s right knee.

The 2024 edition of the Clippers appears no different. Despite having acquired James Harden, Los Angeles finds themselves in a Western Conference playoffs stacked with historic talent.

On the other hand, if Harden can deliver five or six games’ worth of the quality play and efficiency he displayed in Game 1 versus the Mavericks, Los Angeles maintains a fighter’s chance in this series.

Moreover, if the Clippers were somehow able to advance past Dallas without Leonard, their confidence as a greater unit would likely soar to unforeseen heights. Such is the type of mindset fully required to take down a machine like the Denver Nuggets.

Tyronn Lue and Co. cannot afford to look past Luka Doncic at the present moment, nor will they likely be able to look away from Kawhi Leonard's knee as game time approaches this evening.

At some point, Kawhi Leonard deserves fortune to start working in his favor.