Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard will miss Game 6 vs. Jazz
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard will not play in Game 6 against the Utah Jazz on Friday night at Staples Center because of a strained right knee, coach Tyronn Lue said Thursday evening. Lue said there was no injury update beyond that.
Leonard injured his right knee in the Clippers’ Game 4 victory during a collision with Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic while on a drive. Leonard missed the Game 5 win on Wednesday that gave the Clippers a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Fellow All-Star forward Paul George led the Clippers’ 119-111 win with 37 points and 16 rebounds.
Leonard, who was selected All-NBA for the fifth time and chosen All-Defensive team for a seventh, averaged 27.1 points a game against the Jazz after leading the Clippers to a first-round series win over Dallas in which he averaged 32.1 points.
The Clippers are 12-9 without Leonard in the lineup and 6-5 when Leonard sits but George plays.
The Clippers can advance to the conference finals for the first time with a win Friday in front of a Staples Center capacity crowd. What to expect.
Game 6 is set for a 7 p.m. tipoff at a full-capacity Staples Center.
“I want to win a championship. That’s my main focus,” Lue said of the historical importance for the Clippers to advance past the second round for the first time in franchise history.
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