The Clippers will now see if their gamble paid off.
The team sat Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, both of whom are dealing with injuries, for Sunday afternoon’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Clippers lost without their All-Star duo, 124-117. The matinee game tipped off just 22 hours (with the time change) after Saturday’s game against the Chicago Bulls, which factored in the Clippers’ decision to hold out their stars.
Leonard was listed as questionable with left groin soreness and George with left knee soreness for both the Milwaukee and Chicago games.
Before Sunday, Leonard and George had not missed the same game once this season, ending four years of regular absences and rest days for the two veterans. The team has taken a cautious approach to keeping its stars healthy after Leonard sat out the entire 2021-22 season after having knee surgery, while George has had several injury absences over the past five years.
Yet, Leonard and George both logged significant minutes in the 112-102 victory against the Bulls. Leonard posted 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot in 38 minutes, while George finished with 22 points, five rebounds, nine assists, three blocked shots and two steals in 40 minutes.
Another possible reason for holding out the two All-Stars is the fact the Clippers play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night, and a victory would enable them to gain ground in the Western Conference standings. The Clippers (41-22) currently are 3½ games behind first-place Oklahoma City Thunder and two games behind the Timberwolves (44-21), who have lost two in a row since Karl-Anthony Towns suffered a torn meniscus, including a defeat to the Lakers on Sunday night.
A Clippers victory would catch the Timberwolves in the loss column and provide momentum heading into the stretch run toward the playoffs. A loss would set the Clippers back three games behind the Timberwolves, who would also own any tiebreaker.
Having Leonard and…
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