Kawhi Leonard is "highly unlikely" to travel to Phoenix for Game 5 due to a knee injury. Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard 'highly unlikely' to travel for Game 5 against Suns due to knee injury

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 6/27/21

The Los Angeles Clippers are on the brink of elimination following an 84-80 Game 4 loss to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals, and it appears their best player still won't be available for a do-or-die Game 5.

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (h/t Bleacher Report), Kawhi Leonard is "highly unlikely" to travel to Phoenix for Game 5 due to a knee injury.

Kawhi Leonard (knee injury) is "highly unlikely" to travel with the Clippers for Game 5

The elevation involved with flying to Phoenix "wouldn't be good for his knee,” per @ChrisBHaynes pic.twitter.com/XeI5k0aMVg
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 27, 2021

Leonard has not played since Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz. The Clippers say he has a knee sprain, but The Athletic's Shams Charania reports the team fears he has an ACL injury.

Without Leonard, the Clippers lost the first two games of the series against Phoenix before bouncing back in Game 3 to cut the series deficit 2-1. However, the Suns took Game 4, extending their lead in the Western Conference finals 3-1 and pushing the Clippers to the edge.

Although L.A. is close to being eliminated, head coach Tyronn Lue believes his team can make a comeback. Teams have successfully come back from a 3-1 series deficit only 13 times in NBA history.

Game 5 between the Suns and Clippers is scheduled for Monday night.

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