Kawhi Rests Before the Real Thing Starts, and the Clippers Know Exactly Why
Kawhi Leonard is sitting out the LA Clippers' regular-season finale against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night, and coach Tyronn Lue isn't leaving anything to chance heading into the play-in tournament. "He's been dealing with some things the last couple weeks with his wrist and with his ankle," Lue said before the game, "so we just thought it would be smart just to get him as close to 100% as we can get him."
This is the smart play. Leonard has had an incredible season, and the Clippers aren't going to risk losing their star on the eve of the postseason when they can afford to rest him in a meaningless regular-season game.
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Leonard averaged a career-high 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists this season during a mostly healthy stretch where he was actually able to show up night after night. He played 68 games, his second-most as a Clipper, which is a huge deal for a player who dealt with serious injury limitations in 2024-25 when he was held to just 37 games.
Lue summed it up perfectly: "Just being healthy, being able to play in back-to-backs, being able to carry this team when we're down. Just happy for him to be able to get back on the floor for a lot of games this year."
The Streak Ends, but It Doesn't Really Matter
By sitting out Sunday, Leonard's regular-season streak of 57 straight games with 20 or more points comes to an end. That ties him with Bob McAdoo for the longest in franchise history. It's an incredible achievement, but it's not going to hold him back from the postseason awards he's chasing.
Leonard qualified for All-NBA eligibility on Friday when he played in his 65th game of the season, which hits the minimum threshold. He's in good company too, alongside players like Victor Wembanyama and Evan Mobley who also just crossed that line on Friday.
Meanwhile, Steph Curry and the Warriors have already locked in the No. 10 seed for the play-in tournament, where they could potentially run into the Clippers again. Rest up, Kawhi. You're going to need it.
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