NBA Playoffs: Clippers All-Star in Danger of Missing Rest of Mavericks Series

The L.A. Clippers' chances of once again besting the Dallas Mavericks in a first-round matchup, for the third time since 2020, have grown infinitely slimmer today.

That's because, as L.A. team president Lawrence Frank has revealed pre-game, All-NBA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard has officially been ruled out for today's crucial Game 4 road contest against Dallas, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. The oft-injured 6-foot-7 superstar, who just inked a three-year, $149.7 million contract extension mid-season to stay with his hometown team through 2026-27, is dealing with right knee inflammation.

The ailment will have limited him to just two of these four opening playoff games, during which he's averaged a scant 12 points on .458/.000/.667 shooting splits, eight boards, two dimes, two swipes and 0.5 rejections.

"He's extremely disappointed and frustrated," Frank said Sunday prior to Game 4. "It was obvious in Game 3 that his mobility was severely restricted. Organizationally, we made a decision that he's out."

In Game 3 on Friday, a 101-90 loss, Leonard scored just nine points on 4-of-7 shooting in 25 minutes, while also chipping in nine rebounds and two assists (against four turnovers). He lacked his typical lateral mobility which has made him such a tough two-way opponent.

"When you watch him play in Game 3, every movement was very, very restricted," Frank continued. "We saw that and he is disappointed and upset that he is not playing today. Until he can do the movements that he needs to do on a basketball court, we are going to hold him out."

Leonard's All-NBA comrade Paul George and fellow future Hall of Famer James Harden had to pick up the offensive slack due to his limited play in Game 3. Head coach Tyronn Lue will obviously lean on them for even more help in Game 4, which is ongoing as of this writing.

"The obvious question is, 'When's he coming back?' I can't tell you a timeline. I wish I had a crystal ball. Basically, until he can show that he can make all the movements that he needs to make, that's when he'll come back. That will be the timeframe."

Youngmisuk reports that, for now, forward Amir Coffey will be elevated to a starting role in the place of Leonard.

"All I know is, he's going to need time. When can he come back? When he can show consistently that he can make all the movements that he can make. Like if he can't duplicate what he did in Game 2 from just a movement standpoint, then he is not ready to come back. That his body is telling us something and we need to listen to it."

Leonard has been hampered by ailments across the last four postseasons. He tore his ACL during the Clippers' 2021 second-round series against the Utah Jazz, which caused him to subsequently miss the team's 2022 play-in-game losses against the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans. A right knee meniscus tear during the 2023 playoffs limited Leonard to two games during L.A.'s eventual first-round loss to the Phoenix Suns.