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Will Kawhi Leonard Play Tonight? Raptors vs Clippers: Predictions, Injury Report & Lineups

Published 05/11/2021, 2:30 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Los Angeles Clippers begin their 4-game trip to end their regular season by traveling to the makeshift Tampa home of the Toronto Raptors.

While the Clippers will be looking to consolidate their third place in the Western Conference Standings, the Raptors are now out of playoff contention officially.

Date & Time: May 11, 2021, 6:30 pm ET

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Venue: Amalie Arena, Tampa

USA Today via Reuters

Preview | Toronto Raptors

With last night’s results, it was made official that the Raptors‘ 7-year-long fruitful playoff run, which bore them a maiden championship in 2019, has come to an end.

They lie 4.5 games behind the 10th-placed Washington Wizards with just 4 games of the regular season remaining. Hence, they have no chance of even making the play-in tournament.

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Because of this, coach Nick Nurse has chosen to rest a plethora of his star players and give starter-level minutes to the reserves.

Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby have been given the night off. Also, joining them on the sidelines because of injury reasons are Aron Baynes, Chris Boucher, and Rodney Hood.

Starting 5 for Toronto Raptors

Guard – Malachi Flynn

Guard – Gary Trent Jr.

Center – Khem Birch

Forward – Yuta Watanabe

Forward – Jalen Harris

Preview | LA Clippers

It is quite possible that the Clippers also make late changes to their roster for this clash. Coach Ty Lue may choose to rest his superstars, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard, for this matchup.

‘It’s an Unselfish Organization’: Rajon Rondo Details Why LA Clippers Have a Championship DNA

But for now, we’ll assume that he decides to give them some restricted playing time in a bid to keep them sharp for the Playoffs. The Clippers would want to avoid a situation similar to last season, where they arrived into the playoffs without team chemistry.

Other than that, Serge Ibaka continues to miss out because of his prolonged back ailment.

USA Today via Reuters

Starting 5 for LA Clippers

Guard – Reggie Jackson

Guard – Paul George

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Center – Ivica Zubac

Forward – Marcus Morris Sr.

Forward – Kawhi Leonard

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Pick | Clippers

It is the easiest prediction to make all season long. The Raptors will be looking to tank, so as to improve their seeding for the 2021 NBA Draft. Expect the Clippers to run rampant on them tonight.

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Written by:

Bharat Aggarwal

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Bharat Aggarwal is a sports analyst for EssentiallySports, covering Formula 1 and NBA. A Delhi University graduate, Bharat has multi-year experience in sports writing, having closely worked with the content strategy aspect as well. Bharat Aggarwal supports Manchester United, Lewis Hamilton, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal, Dirk Nowitzki, Sachin Tendulkar, Ayrton Senna, Kristaps Porzingis, and Dallas Mavericks.
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