Clippers' Kawhi Leonard, Paul George out vs. Hawks with Knee, Hamstring Injuries

The Los Angeles Clippers will reportedly be shorthanded for Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks.

According to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times, Kawhi Leonard (left knee injury management) and Paul George (hamstring) will not play. What's more, Patrick Beverley is also out, per Brad Rowland of Uproxx, after exiting Tuesday's win over the Dallas Mavericks with a groin injury.

George has not played since a Jan. 5 victory over the New York Knicks, but the Clippers are 5-1 since then in large part because of Leonard's two-way abilities.

Leonard was limited to nine games in 2017-18 while dealing with a quad injury. In an effort to keep him healthy, the Toronto Raptors adopted a proactive load management plan with the All-Star forward upon acquiring him from the San Antonio Spurs.

The strategy worked. Leonard missed 22 regular-season games but guided the Raptors to their first title, capturing the NBA Finals MVP in the process.

The Clippers have utilized the same approach. The NBA announced in November that Leonard had a valid medical reason to sit out when Los Angeles has games in back-to-back nights.

Playoff seeding is somewhat important for the Clippers, who at least want to have home-court advantage for the first round. Like Toronto, Los Angeles will prioritize the postseason over the regular season, though.

That is surely the case for George as well considering the tandem gives the team one of the best one-two punches in the league and will be a challenge for any opponent come playoff time.