Kawhi Leonard out for Clippers; 76ers' Joel Embiid sidelined with knee sprain
The injury bug continues to plague the NBA playoffs.
On Friday, the Los Angeles Clippers announced forward Kawhi Leonard will miss Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns, his second straight playoff game missed with a sprained right knee. The Suns lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Saturday in Los Angeles.
Leonard had 38 points, five rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal in the Clippers' 115-110 Game 1 win in Phoenix. He record 31 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals in their 123-109 Game 2 loss.
He’s a combined 24-for-44 shooting (54.5%) in the first two games.
The Clippers dropped Game 3 129-124 without Leonard and Paul George, who hasn’t played since March 21 due to a sprained right knee.
Clippers head coach Ty Lue called Leonard's injury "very deflating."
"I’m thinking mostly of Kawhi. He hasn’t missed a rehab session, eats right, eats clean. Works extremely hard to get to this point. And then you have something like this happen. I feel bad for him," Lue said. "Our guys have been through a lot this year and the last two years, just for us to compete to the point to make the playoffs and feel pretty good, outside of having (Paul George). It’s a blow.”
Clippers coach Ty Lue not certain if Kawhi Leonard he will play in Game 4. But Ty said, “I’m optimistic anything can happen.”
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) April 21, 2023
Leonard is the latest NBA star that has sustained an injury during the NBA playoffs.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid will miss Game 4 versus the Brooklyn Nets after an MRI revealed that he suffered a sprained right knee during their chippy 102-97 Game 3 win, where he was visibly limping at times after falling hard several times. He was added to the injury report on Friday.
The Sixers lead the series 3-0. Game 4 is Saturday in Brooklyn.
Embiid, a two-time NBA scoring champion, has been hit by injuries in the playoffs most of his career. He suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb and an orbital fracture last year in the playoffs. He’s missed other postseason games with knee injuries and illness.
The Grizzles' Ja Morant is listed as questionable for Memphis' Game 3 versus the Los Angeles Lakers. He missed Game 2 with right hand soreness, but Memphis managed to win without him, Steven Adams (PCL sprain) and Brandon Clarke (Achilles). The series is tied 1-1 as it shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Saturday.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo missed Game 2 against Miami after sustaining a back contusion in Game 1. His status is not clear for Saturday's Game 3 in Miami. The Heat suffered their own loss after Tyler Herro broke his right (shooting) hand in Game 1. He'll be out 4-6 weeks with the injury. The series is tied 1-1.
Contributing: Jeff Zillgitt and The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Injuries in NBA playoffs: Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid will be out
