Is Kawhi Leonard playing tonight against Trail Blazers? Latest injury report on Clippers’ superstar ahead of matchup (April 8, 2023)

After beating the LA Lakers in a thrilling 125-118 game, the LA Clippers and Kawhi Leonard now have the opportunity to seal the 6th seed in their next game.

Taking on the Portland Trail Blazers, the Clippers cannot afford to take any chances and lose any games. Both the New Orleans Pelicans and the LA Lakers are in hot pursuit and still have a chance of finishing in 6th seed. especially since the New Orleans Pelicans have been finding ways to win games they were expected to lose. The Pelicans own the tiebreaker between the two teams, so the Clippers cannot afford to throw away any games.

If the Clippers win against the Blazers on Saturday, their next game will be against the Suns, and whether they fall into the Play-in standings will depend on other results. With Kawhi Leonard not picking up any recent injury, he has not been named in the injury report released before the game. The Klaw is expected to play and has scored 65 points in his last two appearances.

The LA Clippers have a Monday game against the Phoenix Suns which will be their last game of the season. The front office might prefer to rest Leonard for that game, considering the toughness of opponents as well.

LA Clippers and Kawhi Leonard want to avoid Play-in at all costs

The LA Clippers are currently in a tough spot after Paul George suffered a knee injury, ruling him out for at least the play-in tournament. With the Warriors beating the Kings last night, the Clippers fell to the 6th seed, making this matchup even more important.

The Clippers will be focused on securing a playoff seed rather than fighting in the play-in tournament, and Kawhi Leonard is even more important in the absence of PG. The fact that George will only be available for the Playoffs means that a direct qualification becomes even more important.

The Western Conference has seen a topsy-turvy merry-go-round and multiple teams are currently in the running for automatic qualification. The Clippers’ win against the LA Lakers holds them in good stead. The New Orleans Pelicans have also managed to stay in the race while the Golden State Warriors will be optimistic about their chances.

As things stand, LeBron James and company will be competing in the Play-in tournament. Of course, fans will have little to complain about considering the way the season appeared to be going for the Lakers.