Is Kawhi Leonard playing for the Clippers on Saturday vs. the Pelicans?

The Los Angeles Clippers will look to bounce back from a bad loss to the Memphis Grizzlies Friday when they face the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday evening. Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard typically doesn’t play back-to-back sets as part of his injury management program but there’s a chance he does suit up with LA in the thick of a major playoff race. Here’s a look at his status.

Kawhi Leonard injury updates

Update: Leonard is available as expected and is set to get the start. He doesn’t have any known minutes restrictions, and playing less than 20 minutes Friday certainly helps his cause for tonight’s contest.

According to head coach Tyronn Lue, Leonard is fully available for Saturday’s game. Of course, this doesn’t really mean anything until he actually takes the court. He played just 18 minutes Saturday, so that’s a positive sign in terms of his workload. Given the stakes, it makes sense for Leonard to play.

With Leonard set to play, Russell Westbrook and Norman Powell will see a reduction in opportunities. Powell is more likely to be impacted than Westbrook.