LeBron: Ankle ‘horrible,’ hoping not to miss time

LA Clippers coach Ty Lue gave a positive update on Kawhi Leonard before Friday’s game in Minnesota. Leonard has missed the entire season to this point, as he’s recovering from offseason knee surgery.

“He’s progressing well. He’s been able to get on the court and do some things on the court, which is good for us,” Lue said about Leonard. “So just still checking every box, making sure that he’s doing the right things and his workouts are really good and making sure we don’t let him get to the next step until he checks those boxes, so our medical staff has done a great job with that, making sure that we make sure he’s 100% when he comes back.”

Leonard played in 68 games last season for the Clippers. The star forward put together a terrific all-around season. However, Leonard was limited to playing in just two of LA’s playoff games, as they fell to the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the first round.

New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is considering a lineup change in the wake of his team falling down 0-2 to the Indiana Pacers. Thibodeau is looking at starting Mitchell Robinson in place of Josh Hart in a change to one of the consistent starting groups in the NBA.

In each game this season where they’ve all been available to play, the Knicks have started Hart alongside Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. However, with New York trailing 0-2 as the series shifts to Indiana, Thibodeau is looking for ways to spark his team.

Starting Robinson would give the Knicks more size in the opening lineup. He’s been terrific defensively throughout the playoffs, holding up in rim protection, as well as on switches on the perimeter. Robinson also does a good job creating extra possessions with his offensive rebounding.