Los Angeles Clippers president Lawrence Frank announced that superstar Kawhi Leonard will miss Game 4 due to knee inflammation and has no plans to return. Leonard missed the final weeks of the regular season, missed Game 1 of the series, and struggled in Games 2 and 3.
“It was clear in Game 3 that his mobility was severely limited, so organizationally we just made the decision for him to leave,” Frank told the media before the game. Ta. “I know the obvious question is coming, so I'll answer it: 'When is he coming back?' I can't give you a timeline, but until he can prove he can make all the necessary moves, It will be time for him to come back.”
Leonard averaged 12 PPG and shot 39.3 percent from the floor in Games 2 and 3, so it's no wonder the organization decided to rest him and wait until he was closer to 100 percent. He had one breakaway dunk in the series, clinging to the rim long after the timeout whistle to cushion the blow to his knee. It was a dramatic change from the regular season, as he averaged 23.7 PPG and shot 52.5 percent from the field this season.
“Kawhi (Leonard) is incredibly disappointed. We feel so bad for him,” Frank continued. “He played in 68 games this year and had a very healthy year. This happened out of the blue.”
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said they need to learn from Game 1 going forward in the series, saying, “You see how aggressive (James) Harden and (Paul George) are. You can see that the players are aggressive.'' …You can learn from Game 1. ” Dallas lost Game 1 to the Clippers, who played without Leonard, and will be hoping their fortunes change here.
Game 4 previews will be held from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas at 2:30 p.m. CST.
READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks remain grounded before Game 4 against Clippers: 'Nothing to celebrate'
continue mavericks game day Learn more about the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA Playoffs here.
Follow Austin Vesey twitter
