After Chris Paul and the COVID protocol, new big breaking from the ruthless world that is the NBA. Kawhi Leonard, hit in the knee in the fourth quarter of Game 4 between the Clippers and Jazz, will spend time in the infirmary and will therefore not be available for his team. Big blow on the head of the Angelinos!
« I will be good ». At the microphone of journalists after the meeting on Monday, Kawhi Leonard had yet been reassuring in relation to his knee injury. Even if he had to let his teammates conclude without him during the last five minutes of Game 4 on the night of Monday to Tuesday, The Klaw seemed to have avoided any serious injury and did not need any specific care on the bench after its release. Except that today, a very bad news has befallen the group of Tyronn Lue. According to journalistsESPN Ramona Shelburne et Brian Windhorst, Kawhi Leonard officially withdraws for crucial Game 5 tonight in Utah between Jazz and Clippers, currently tied 2-2 in the series. Obviously, it was Kawhi himself who announced the news Tuesday night to his friends, who are probably a little knocked out today. When you lose your best player, a guy who turns 30.4 points (57.3% shooting, 39.3% parking, 88% free throws), 7.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2 , 1 average interceptions, there is enough to make the face and honestly, it’s hard to see how Californians could get away with the leader of the West without Leonard, especially since Mike Conley could return tonight. Paul George will not only have to confirm his two big games at Staples Center but the entire supporting cast will also have to respond even more than usual to hope to compensate for Leonard’s absence.
But the worst part is that in addition to Game 5, Kawhi could simply miss out on everything else in the series if the sources are to be believed.ESPN. If nothing is official at the moment regarding Leonard’s status for the sixth game, it does not smell good all that. At the moment, we don’t have any real info on the nature and severity of Kawhi’s injury, but it looks serious enough that he misses one or more of such important games. For the Clippers, this is simply the worst news possible at this point in the season. Reinvigorated after their two home wins, the Angelinos had all the momentum before returning to Utah and seemed able to take control of the series. Now, we wonder if the Clippers will ever reach those damn Western Conference Finals, which has never happened in the history of the California franchise. Ultimate choke in 2020, then Kawhi’s injury in 2021, it’s hard. We would like to extend our sincere support to the entire Clippers community during these difficult times.
Will we see Kawhi Leonard again this season? It seems badly done. As the Clippers mastered Game 4 with a 16-point lead with five minutes remaining, their season may have shifted to innocuous action, with Kawhi’s knee spinning a bit on a classic counterattack. This action now risks causing nightmares throughout the Clippers Nation. And to top it off, let’s not forget either that Leonard has the potential to become a free agent this summer …
Text source: ESPN
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