NBA: Kawhi Leonard is out of Los Angeles Clippers’ must-win Game 5 vs. Suns

Kawhi Leonard of Los Angeles Clippers has been ruled out of Game 5 of the first round of the Western Conference playoff series with the Phoenix Suns.

The attacker missed his second game in a row on Saturday with a knee injury and the seriousness remains unknown.

But he was ruled out of the Clippers’ must-win matchup on Monday — and the team also missed out on Paul George.

They’re down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series and Marcus Morris, Eric Gordon and Norman Powell are likely to take on bigger roles again to fill in for Leonard and George.

“He’s definitely hurt,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said.

Paul George (center) is also sidelined with a knee injury as the Clippers look to keep the season alive

The injury is reminiscent of the 2021 playoffs, when Leonard missed the last eight games with a knee injury and the Clippers were eliminated by the Suns.

Ultimately, he required ACL surgery that cost him the entire 2021-22 campaign.

Without Leonard and George, who was out with a knee injury but trained for Monday’s practice, the Clippers were competitive against the Suns but lacked the finishing touch.

Los Angeles led 66-65 in Game 4 until Kevin Durant’s game-leading three-pointer with 5:19 left in the third quarter.

Russell Westbrook of the Clippers scored 37 points on 17-of-29 shooting in Game 4.

While taking over the primary scoring role, Westbrook averaged 31.7 points over the last three games, while also adding 7.0 assists and 6.3 rebounds.

“You lead and interact with guys differently based on ways to make them react,” Westbrook said when asked about leadership roles without Leonard and George.

“During games I try to find ways to lead, you know, not talk too much but make points, especially this time of year.”

Russell Westbrook of the Clippers scored 37 points on 17-of-29 shooting in Game 4