Is Kawhi Leonard playing against the Suns? Latest injury update on Clippers' star ahead of matchup (18th April 2023)

Last Sunday, Kawhi Leonard put on a show and reminded the world of the kind of player he becomes come playoff time. The Clippers' star dropped 38 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists and also shot 54.2%, including 60.0% from 3-point range.

There was a lot of back-and-forth action between the Suns and the Clippers in Game 1 with a final score of 115-110 as the series has lived up to the hype so far. Looking forward to Game 2, Leonard will be available to play later at the Footprint Center.

Unfortunately, the team will remain without Paul George as he continues to recover from the sprained right knee injury that he sustained back on March 21.

With George expected to miss the entire first-round series against the Suns, Kawhi Leonard will have to play just as well, maybe even better, like he did in Game 1 for the rest of this matchup as Kevin Durant and Devin Booker won't easily go away.

Kawhi Leonard on Russell Westbrook's Game 1 performance

After being ridiculed by fans during his time with the LA Lakers, the nine-time All-Star has somewhat found a home with the LA Clippers in one of the most interesting seasons of his career yet.

Westbrook made his imprint in Game 1 as he did the "dirty work" by hustling for rebounds and second-chance points, showcasing elite defense as he got the game-winning block on Devin Booker's layup and dishing out 8 assists with only two turnovers.

After the game, Leonard gave his teammate's performance some flowers as he talked about it during his post-game interview.

"He’s a Hall-of-Fame point guard. He’s been big in playoffs before. He’s been to the Finals. I expect him to play great and do his job."

Besides the importance of Kawhi's scoring and defense for this series being in the favor of the Clippers, the team is going to need everything that Westbrook can give them if they want a shot at sending the Phoenix Suns home early in the playoffs.