Kawhi Leonard rolled his ankle in Game 5 of the Spurs' series against the Rockets. The injury forced him to sit out overtime of Game 5 and the entirety of Game 6. Now that San Antonio has eliminated Houston, it heads to the Bay Area to play the Warriors.
Any worries that Leonard might not play Game 1 against the Warriors can be put to rest. According to Michael Wright of ESPN, Leonard will be ready to go for Game 1 of Spurs-Warriors with no ankle issues. The reason he sat out Game 6 was just to give him the extra rest and make sure his ankle was completely healed.
San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard will face the Golden State Warriors Sunday in the opener of the Western Conference finals, according to ESPN's Michael C. Wright.
Leonard, who injured his left ankle on Tuesday, could have played in Thursday night's semifinals-clinching 114-75 win over the Houston Rockets if needed, but the Spurs decided they'd rather have him healthy for Sunday, Wright reported.
The Spurs can now go into prep for Game 1 without any concerns of missing their most important player. They'll need Leonard at full strength if they're going to have any chance at taking down Golden State.
This is great news for San Antonio. With Tony Parker out for the entire playoffs with an injury they really couldn't afford to lose another key player, especially an MVP candidate like Leonard. The Spurs managed to steal Game 5 and then smack Houston in Game 6 without Leonard, but they wouldn't be able to do the same against the Warriors. Leonard is a strong part of why their system works.
