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.
Ty Lue says Kawhi Leonard is OUT tomorrow against Utah
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 17, 2021
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.
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.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
