San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, who has not played this season due to an injury, talks with the media before an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in San Antonio. Leonard is expected to return to play soon. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
DALLAS — San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard is expected to make his season debut Tuesday when the Spurs visit Dallas.
Leonard has missed all 27 of the Spurs’ games this season while recovering from right quadriceps tendinopathy, a condition that causes pain and weakness in the knee.
Leonard last played in Game 1 of last season’s Western Conference finals. He hurt his left ankle in the opener of that series against Golden State, turning it while trying to land after a jump shot and coming down on the foot of Warriors center Zaza Pachulia.
The Spurs are listing Leonard as probable. Even without Leonard, who averaged a career-best 25.5 points last season and is a two-time defensive player of the year, the Spurs are 19-8 this season and third in the Western Conference.