Clippers Announce Kawhi Leonard Injury Update Before Warriors Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Valdez | Last updated Apr 12, 2026 5:26 PM ET

The Los Angeles Clippers have had a chaotic campaign, but that hasn't stopped star forward Kawhi Leonard from excelling. The 34-year-old is sixth in the NBA with 27.9 points per game on 50.5% shooting (38.7% 3-point) and averages 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals over 32.1 minutes. He's also tied for third in average steals.

Leonard has played 65 games this season after logging just 37 appearances in 2024-25 due to injury. The 6-foot-6, 225-pounder is now eligible to win major NBA awards, as players must play at least 65 games to be considered.

However, the Clippers announced an injury update about Leonard before Sunday's regular-season finale against the Golden State Warriors, via The Athletic's Law Murray.

"Kawhi Leonard (ankle) will not play tonight -- Clippers not believing in the [Sacramento] Kings at all lol," he reported. "Leonard will have four days off (assuming a [Portland Trail] Blazers win today) before playing in what could be the last Clippers game before the NBA's Aspiration investigation concludes."

Kawhi Leonard (ankle) will not play tonight -- Clippers not believing in the Kings at all lol

Leonard will have four days off (assuming a Blazers win today) before playing in what could be the last Clippers game before the NBA's Aspiration investigation concludes.
— Law Murray (@LawMurrayTheNU) April 12, 2026

Clippers Poised for Play-In Appearance

Los Angeles Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (10), forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and forward John Collins (20) © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles is currently in ninth place in the Western Conference and will appear in the Play-In Tournament no matter what happens on Sunday. But it would rise to eighth if it beats Golden State and Sacramento beats Portland, so it still has something to play for.

On the other hand, the Kings are tied with the Utah Jazz at the bottom of the West and have no incentive to beat the Trail Blazers, who are eighth. The Blazers and the Clippers are each 41-40, but the Blazers own the tiebreaker due to having a better conference record, per NBA.com.

Sacramento will have better draft lottery odds if it finishes below Utah in the standings, so Los Angeles has no reason to believe that team will win on Sunday. It's safer to rest Leonard and not have him risk a serious injury before the Play-In, which has higher stakes.

The Clippers traded star guard James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers and big man Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers in February in exchange for assets including guards Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin. Despite the midseason roster overhaul, they will still make the playoffs if they survive the Play-In.

Los Angeles will host Golden State at 8:30 p.m. ET at the Intuit Dome. The Play-In will take place from Tuesday to Friday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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