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The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers were set to meet Thursday night in a showdown of championship hopefuls but this matchup has slowly become a potential game to avoid with the number of players being held out. The Clippers had a game Wednesday night, so they’re taking the cautious approach with most of their roster. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will not play tonight against Phoenix. The former is being ruled out due to “injury management”, while George is getting a breather.
Kawhi Leonard (right knee injury management), Paul George (left knee soreness), Reggie Jackson (left Achilles inflammation), Norm Powell (left groin strain) are out against Phoenix.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) December 15, 2022
Ivica Zubac (left knee contusion) and Luke Kennard (right calf soreness) are questionable to play
Injury management is not new for Leonard, who popularized the original term “load management” when he took games off to avoid setbacks with his quad injury at the time. George is just being given a day off and that’s not the worst thing but the league will eventually have to take action if teams routinely give star players days off ahead of supposedly marquee broadcasts.