Clippers' Kawhi Leonard Out for NBA Playoffs Game 5 vs. Suns with Knee Injury

The injury woes for Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard continue, as he will miss Game 5 of his team's playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Leonard has already missed two games this postseason due to the sprained right knee. He was ruled out of Game 3 against the Phoenix Suns hours before tipoff on April 20.

The Clippers listed Leonard as out for Game 4 on April 21, one day before the game was scheduled to be played.

There was no indication anything was wrong with Leonard coming out of the Clippers' first two games against the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 40.2 minutes per game, 34.5 points on 54.5 percent shooting and added 6.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists.

Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told reporters prior to Game 3 that Leonard aggravated the injury in the first game of the series and played through it in Game 2, but it got to a point that it wouldn't allow him to play.

"He desperately, desperately wants to play," Frank said. "He's extremely disappointed."

Injuries have become as much a part of Leonard's career as his performance on the court. The two-time NBA Finals MVP hasn't played more than 60 games in a season since 2016-17. He sat out the entire 2021-22 campaign recovering from a torn ACL suffered during the 2021 postseason against the Utah Jazz.

The Clippers are already playing their series against the Suns without Paul George, who sprained his knee against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 21. Leonard's injury woes make their postseason path much more difficult to navigate.

Norman Powell did a great job in Leonard's absence in Game 3, scoring 42 points in a 129-124 loss. It was just his second game in the starting lineup since Jan. 31. He will be counted on to step up again as the Clippers try to keep their title hopes alive.