Kawhi Leonard left game, arena early in Clippers loss with troubling new ailment

Last night went about as badly as it could have gone for the Los Angeles Clippers. At one point, the Clippers led the Minnesota Timberwolves by 22 points. However, a 20-point lead in the NBA is not what it used to be, as the game has become so much faster and teams have become way more efficient at shooting threes. (Just ask the Clippers.) Despite a 22-point lead, the Clippers lost 118-100 to the Timberwolves, and to make matters worse, it appears Minnesota's injury luck spread to the Clippers.

Kawhi Leonard left arena early during loss to Timberwolves

Kawhi Leonard played the whole first quarter, scored six points, but left the arena in the first half due to back spasms. ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk says Leonard was suffering from thoracic spasms and went home to rest rather than sit in discomfort at the arena. 

Although Leonard sat out of the Clippers game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, he has appeared in 58 out of 64 games for LA this season, his most since joining the team in 2019.

Clippers coach Ty Lue told ESPN after the game that Leonard's been dealing with this for a couple days and that he wasn't sure if Kawhi would play against Minnesota in the first place. "But he came to shootaround, got some treatment, did what he had to do and tried to get on the court and played today. It just didn't loosen up for him." Lue said.

On Wednesday, the Clips will fly to Chicago for Thursday's game against the Bulls. When asked if Kawhi would travel with the team, Lue was uncertain. "I hope so," Lue said. With only 18 games left in the season, the injury bug couldn't have picked a worse time to rear its ugly head.

If it's any consolation, Paul George is still confident that this team can figure it out, whether Kawhi is there or not. "Let Kawhi take whatever time he needs," George said after the game. "We just need him healthy. But we'll pick it up, keep it rolling. We're not the only team down a man." 

The Clippers (41-23) are fourth in the West and are now in the midst of a two-game skid. Hopefully, Leonard's injury is nothing serious because in order to remain competitive in the West, the Clippers need him to return sooner rather than later.