The LA Clippers will host the Detroit Pistons tonight inside the Intuit Dome. While on paper this game might appear to be a mismatch to most, given Detroit’s 24-7 record so far this season, which is significantly better than the Clippers’ 9-21 record for the 2025-26 campaign, it’s not. That’s because LA has been on a roll in recent games.

The Clippers are entering this game with a three-game winning streak and will likely look to extend it to four. However, to do so, they’ll need their superstar forward, Kawhi Leonard, who has a terrible injury record and has missed several games in the past. Will the Klaw miss tonight’s game, or will he pose a threat to the Pistons in the paint?

Is Kawhi Leonard playing tonight against the Pistons?

The shor answer is, yes, Kawhi Leonard is all set to play tonight for the Clippers. It goes without saying that, this is a huge relief for Los Angeles, which is hoping to carry their recent momentum forward. In fact, the veteran forward has played a huge role in his team’s recent resurgence, putting up team-high 32 and 41 points in wins over the Lakers and the Rockets.

Nonetheless, even apart from those two performances, the Klaw in the 20 games he’s played this season has arguably been the Clippers’ best player. He’s averaged 26.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists so far this season, which speaks volumes about his importance to his Clippers team. However, even though Kawhi Leonard is fit, LA is pretty hard hit with injuries.

The Clippers vs the Pistons injury reports for December 28th

Here’s what you need to know about who’s in and who’s out for tonight’s clash:

Los Angeles Clippers injury report

While Kawhi Leonard is healthy, the same cannot be said for two other key players for the Clippers, Bradley Beal and Ivica Zubac. While Beal’s season has been cut short because of a hip injury, Zubac sustained a Grade 2 left ankle sprain during the Clippers’ emphatic 103-88 win over their bitter rivals, the Lakers.

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As a result of that injury, Zubac not only be missing tonight but will be out for at least the next three weeks. This is a huge blow for LA, as the 28-year-old is the team’s starting center and has been instrumental for them. He’s averaged 15.6 points and 11.1 rebounds while shooting 60.9 percent from the field.

So, it’s safe to say that the Clippers will miss him badly tonight. Nonetheless, there’s more. Both Cam Christie and Bogdan Bogdanovic are also expected to miss tonight’s clash. While Christie is questionable because of a sprained ankle, Bogdanovic is dealing with a left hamstring injury management issue.

Detroit Pistons injury report

As for the Pistons, they are doing significantly better in terms of injuries, with them only having a single player on their injury report. Isaac Jones is expected to miss tonight’s clash for Detroit after the young center was assigned to the G League. So, does that mean that the Pistons will enter this game with the same lineup that they used in their previous matchups?

Predicted lineups for the Clippers vs the Pistons

Here’s how the LA Clippers could start with Kawhi Leonard:

And here’s how the Detroit Pistons could start with the entire roster available at their disposal:

So, that’s how both the starting lineups could look. Now, even though the Clippers are in red-hot form and have secured some big wins, tonight will be a real test for them. That’s because they’ll be going up against a physical and gritty Detroit team with Cade Cunningham leading the charge. Will they be able to come away with a fourth straight win?