Woj: Clippers Not Confident Kawhi Leonard Will Return from Injury vs. Suns

The likelihood that Kawhi Leonard will return from a right knee injury before the end of the Western Conference Finals gets lower with each passing day.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t RealGM.com), the Los Angeles Clippers' confidence in having Leonard available at any point in their series against the Phoenix Suns "is not there right now."

Leonard injured his knee at the 5:25 mark of the fourth quarter in Los Angeles' Game 4 win over the Utah Jazz in the second round June 14.

Even though the Clippers have been coy about Leonard's diagnosis, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the team was concerned the five-time All-Star suffered an ACL injury.

Per Farbod Esnaashari of Sports Illustrated, Leonard sprained his ACL.

The Clippers have taken a day-to-day approach with Leonard's availability. He didn't travel with the team to Phoenix for the first two games of the Western Conference Finals in order to continue rehabbing his knee, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

Los Angeles won its final two games against Utah to advance. It has lost Games 1 and 2 against Phoenix, marking the third consecutive playoff series it has faced a 2-0 hole.

Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals will be played at the Staples Center at 9 p.m. ET Thursday.

Leonard was averaging 30.4 points on 57.3 percent shooting, 7.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 11 playoff starts prior to the injury.