The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers will face each other on Tuesday at Footprint Center without Kawhi Leonard. Leonard has been ruled out for the fifth straight game due to right knee inflammation, while Jusuf Nurkic of the Suns is questionable with a right ankle sprain. Despite his absence, the Clippers have a record of 6-4 and are still in contention for the third seed in the Western Conference.
In two wins over the Suns this season, Leonard scored a total of 47 points. Phoenix is currently two games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the fifth seed, while Los Angeles is three games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the third seed. This means that both teams need to win out in their remaining four games to secure their playoff spots.
Nurkic played 31 minutes in a recent loss to the New Orleans Pelicans and scored six points with 10 rebounds. He has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in each of his last four games, making him a key player for Phoenix’s frontcourt. Tuesday’s game will start at 7 p.m., and it will be broadcast on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. While there is no guarantee that these two teams will meet again in the postseason, it is still possible that they could face off in a first-round series if they both make it to the playoffs.
