The LA Clippers will return to the court for the second night of a back-to-back to take on the Phoenix Suns on Thursday evening. After a brutal loss to an inferior Trail Blazers team on Wednesday, the Clippers are still looking for their first home victory at Intuit Dome and will have to be at the top of their game to have a shot at dethroning the Phoenix Suns.
This will be the second time in eight nights that LA will face off against Phoenix inside the friendly confines of Intuit Dome. On October 23, the Clippers opened their regular season against the Suns, barely losing a close contest in overtime. The fanbase is obviously begging for the team to win a game at home to get that monkey off their back, but Phoenix will be far from a cakewalk.
Last time out against the Suns, the Clippers took everyone by surprise in leading for most of the second half before the visitors clawed back into the contest. Since then, Phoenix has taken a close loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on the road before picking up home wins against the Dallas Mavericks and Lakers. The Clippers will need Kawhi Leonard on Thursday to have the best shot of picking up their first win at Intuit Dome.
Is Kawhi Leonard playing tonight vs Suns?
Having not played throughout all of preseason and the regular season to this point, Clipper nation is still anxiously awaiting Kawhi Leonard's return. The latest update provided to the fanbase was given by Ty Lue on Tuesday. He confirmed that Leonard would be out for the next two games, but gave no further information beyond that.
This of course means that Kawhi's status was confirmed as OUT for both games of the Trail Blazers-Suns back-to-back at home. Beyond Thursday night, it has been speculated that Leonard will miss multiple weeks, so he will likely remain out into at least the beginning or mid part of November.
Full Clippers injury report vs Suns
As previously stated, Kawhi Leonard (knee) is out for LA against Phoenix. Also confirmed out are Mo Bamba (knee) and P.J. Tucker (not with team). The Clippers are still in search of suitors who may be interested in acquiring Tucker in a potential trade.
Full Suns injury reports vs Clippers
Josh Okogie (hamstring) is out for the Suns. Bradley Beal (elbow) is questionable. Beal missed Phoenix's Saturday contest with Dallas, but was able to suit up for their Monday game against the Lakers.