Does Kawhi Leonard play against Luka Doncic, Lakers?

Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers beat the Denver Nuggets on Thursday evening thanks to a a herculean effort from the new guard Benedikt Maturin. But with the Clippers also playing Friday night for the second night of a back-to-back set, Kawhi Leonard will be up against it Los Angeles Lakers?

The Clippers are currently 27-28, having won 21 of their last 28 games after starting the season a measly 6-21. Returning to the standings and fighting for the playoffs is led by star Kawhi Leonard. Given his injury history and the upcoming back-to-back, everyone wants to know if Leonard will play against the Lakers.

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Kawhi Leonard’s injury status against the Lakers

Kawhi Leonard played in 42 of the Clippers’ 55 games this season. He missed 10 games in November 2025 with a sprained ankle he suffered against the Miami Heat and three more games in January 2026 with knee swelling from a hard hit he took against the Detroit Pistons a week earlier.

He played in the Clippers’ first game after the 2026 NBA All-Star break against the Nuggets, but dealt with illness as he scored 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field. He got a big boost from new teammate Benedict Maturin, who scored a career-high 38 points on 12-of-22 shooting in the win.

Heading into Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kawhi Leonard is not on the list on the Clippers’ injury report and is expected to play. It’s worth noting, however, that head coach Tyronn Lue has indicated that Leonard is on a minutes restriction and that the team will likely limit his minutes as the season progresses.

“He’s on a minutes (restriction),” head coach Tyronn Lue admitted after Wednesday’s practice at the Intuit Dome. “He’s on his minutes, so we just can’t go overboard. Like I said, we’re smart about it. We know we can’t just put him on the floor. As much as he wants to play more and do more, we just know that with that workload, we just can’t keep doing that night in and night out. So it’s going to be some nights where that’s for sure, but we want to be safer with him than others.”

Kawhi Leonard played in 41 games for the Clippers this season, averaging 27.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 49 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from three and 90.7 percent from the three-point line. His 27.8 points per night is a career high for the Clippers star, who has been tasked with carrying the scoring load throughout all the trades and injuries they’ve had to deal with.

The fourth and final showdown between the LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers is set to air at 7:00 PM PST on ESPN.