Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs missed the final quarter of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a head injury. "The Klaw" could miss the Spurs' big showdown with the Golden State Warriors on March 11, Saturday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
According to NBA.com, Kawhi Leonard was hit in the mouth or cheek during a play in the third quarter of the Spurs' 102-92 loss to the Thunder. The Spurs' athletic trainer decided that it was best for Leonard to rest for the rest of the game.
The 25-year-old star is expected to undergo the NBA's concussion protocol and he could potentially miss games if he fails it. He finished the game against the Thunder with 19 points in just 26 minutes of play. Russell Westbrook put up his 31st triple-double to help OKC end their 4-game losing skid and the Spurs' 9-game winning streak.
The Spurs vs. Warriors game on Saturday is the team's first meeting since Opening Day when San Antonio embarrassed Golden State at the Oracle Arena. It was a 29-point win for the Spurs with Kawhi Leonard exploding for 35 points, five rebounds, three assists and five steals.
The Warriors are going to be without Kevin Durant, who is still recovering from an MCL sprain in his left knee. If the Spurs play without Kawhi Leonard, the Warriors are going to have an advantage since they still have Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
However, the Warriors are currently struggling and even the Kawhi Leonard-less Spurs could beat them. Golden State only has a two-game lead over the Spurs in the standings and their matchup on Saturday is a big one just in case a tiebreaker will be needed at the end of the season.
Kawhi Leonard is having an MVP season and he might have snatched the award from James Harden and Russell Westbrook with his performances in the past couple of weeks, per The Guardian. He is currently averaging 26.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists this season.
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