Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard, Paul George cleared to return vs. Magic

The Los Angeles Clippers were without stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George for only a brief part of their ongoing road trip. 

According to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, Leonard and George have both cleared the NBA's health and safety protocols related to COVID-19 and are expected to return to action for Friday's game at the Orlando Magic.

The pair didn't travel for Tuesday's loss at the Atlanta Hawks and also missed Thursday's 109-105 win at the Miami Heat. They rejoined the Clippers in Orlando, however, and should be good to go over the next four road contests. 

The trip ends with a back-to-back against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday and Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. 

According to ESPN stats, Leonard leads the team with 25.9 points, 5.7 assists, 2.0 steals and a player efficiency rating (PER) of 28.03. George is second on the Clippers with 23.9 points and 6.2 rebounds, and he's third with a PER of 22.63.

Starting point guard Patrick Beverley has been dealing with right knee soreness since last Sunday's 108-100 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder and remains sidelined through the start of the weekend.