Against the Los Angeles Lakers, franchise superstar Kawhi Leonard was up to 31 points in 31 minutes, with five assists and four rebounds, shooting 11-19 from the field, then suddenly, he disappeared. Something had to be severely wrong if the two-time champion, who was eventually ruled out, could not finish a game that was going down to the wire, leading fans to overthink the worst possible outcome. Well, Tyronn Lue revealed that Leonard’s ankle simply got stiff.
Ty Lue says Kawhi Leonard has been dealing with left ankle soreness and it got stiff on him.
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) February 21, 2026
Phew, a sigh of relief spread immediately. The Clippers cannot afford to lose Leonard to anything serious just after James Harden and Ivica Zubac were traded, and while Darius Garland is recovering.
Nonetheless, Clipper Nation can sleep at night peacefully, with optimism that Leonard will be good to go for Sunday’s contest versus the Orlando Magic.
The Clippers made the right decision by ending Kawhi Leonard’s night early
The LA Clippers needed Kawhi Leonard to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers, not just because he is LA’s best scorer, but also due to the fact that he was dueling with Luka Doncic the entire night.
His heroic efforts, with 21 points by halftime, ultimately helped the Clippers, who were once down 16, come back, making it a suspenseful game that was not worth missing. Without him, LA would have never regained hope from Doncic’s scorching hot start.
However, the training staff played it smart. They know exactly what is at stake, how close the Clippers are to .500, and where they aim to be as a team once the playoffs kick off.
Therefore, the only decision to make after being informed that Leonard had a stiff ankle was to sit him out for the remainder of the time left, even if it was only five minutes and some change.
Additionally, Leonard, in particular, is not one of the players you can have a short-sighted vision with by valuing the heat of the moment over the bigger picture. His injury history is far too lengthy, and beyond being available for action, the front office needs him at one-hundred percent in the event of a trade in the summer.
That said, more updates on Leonard are to come, yet based on Tyronn Lue’s words, the circumstances do not seem serious. Proper precautions were taken and will continue to remain in effect, putting the face of the franchise in the best position to lace up and dominate.