The Los Angeles Clippers snapped their three-game winning streak on Tuesday night, falling to the New Orleans Pelicans. This loss came despite a strong showing from Kawhi Leonard, who tallied 29 points and eight rebounds in his 23rd game of the season.
Leonard, a two-time Finals MVP, has been limited this season due to inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee. In his absence, the Clippers have been led by 11-time All-Star James Harden and breakout star Norman Powell.
Leonard and Powell won an NBA championship together in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors, and have been a solid pairing in LA.
While Leonard has appeared in three-straight games for the Clippers, Powell has missed the last five with a hamstring strain. The 6-foot-3 guard has appeared in just one of LA's last 11 contests, playing nine minutes in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on March 2, which was his return from a five-game knee injury absence.
On Wednesday, the Clippers announced the unfortunate news that both Leonard and Powell would be sidelined for their contest against the Miami Heat.
OUT for tonight's Clippers-Heat game:
Kawhi Leonard - Right Knee Injury Management
Norman Powell - Right Hamstring Strain
Ben Simmons - Left Knee Injury Management
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 12, 2025
This news comes despite some speculation among the fanbase that Leonard could be appearing in his first back-to-back of the season.
"Last season, Kawhi Leonard played his first set of back-to-back games on March 14th-15th," a Clippers fan wrote on X. "Today is March 12th and Leonard has not been ruled out (yet), when he's usually ruled out immediately after game 1. Does Kawhi continue this trend and play his first B2B tonight vs. Miami?"
Last season, Kawhi Leonard played his first set of back-to-back games on March 14th-15th.
Today is March 12th and Leonard has not been ruled out (yet), when he's usually ruled out immediately after game 1.
Does Kawhi continue this trend and play his first B2B tonight vs. Miami? pic.twitter.com/5b15rG7uzc
— APHoops (@APH00PS) March 12, 2025
Since his 2019 championship with the Raptors, Leonard has appeared in 252 regular season games. The six-time All-Star has yet to return to the NBA Finals since his run in Toronto.
As for the Raptors, they have also not seen much postseason success since Leonard's departure, winning just one playoff series (2020).
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This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 12:50 PM.