Kobe Sanders

February 20, 2026

Exits rotation Thursday

Sanders (coach's decision) went unused off the bench in Thursday's 115-114 win over the Nuggets.

Analysis

Though the Clippers upgraded him from a two-way contract to a standard deal over the All-Star break, Sanders ended up dropping out of the rotation for the first time since Nov. 10, ending a streak of 44 consecutive appearances. With Derrick Jones recently returning from an extended injury-related absence and with the Clippers bringing aboard Bennedict Mathurin at the trade deadline to bolster their depth on the wing, Sanders could regularly find himself outside of head coach Tyronn Lue's nine-man rotation. Sanders may at least temporarily reclaim a role in the second unit for Friday's game against the Lakers, as veteran Nicolas Batum (18 minutes Thursday) could be a candidate to rest for the second leg of a back-to-back set.