Finally healthy, Kawhi's throwback effort ties series

DENVER -- Last twelvemonth astatine this clip Kawhi Leonard was hobbled. It was achy to ticker him effort to play done the inflammation successful his close genu successful earlier the LA Clippers yet unopen him down earlier Game 4 of their first-round playoff nonaccomplishment to the Dallas Mavericks.

It took months for Leonard to retrieve from his injuries. So agelong that the Clippers had to determination connected and fig retired however to play without him for the archetypal portion of the play and reporters fundamentally stopped asking manager Tyronn Lue for updates.

But down the scenes, Leonard was moving to get backmost to a carnal signifier truthful that helium mightiness 1 time person a nighttime similar helium did Monday nighttime successful the Clippers' 105-102 win implicit the Denver Nuggets successful Game 2 of their first-round Western Conference playoff bid astatine Ball Arena.

"I'm conscionable blessed that I'm capable to move," Leonard said aft scoring 39 points connected an businesslike 15-for-19 from the field. "That's what I'm taking pridefulness successful is conscionable being healthy. I sat and watched these playoff games and bid the past 2 years. So being capable to beryllium frontline retired there, it conscionable feels bully for maine nary substance which mode the crippled goes."

Leonard missed 23 days with inflammation successful his close genu trying to get himself acceptable for the playoffs past season, lone to person it not respond good and yet beryllium ruled retired for the series. At the time, it felt similar the closing of the title model that had formed erstwhile helium joined forces with Paul George successful 2019 and past added James Harden successful a midseason trade. George near arsenic a escaped cause past summertime portion Leonard and Harden re-signed with team-friendly contracts.

Leonard was capable to play successful conscionable 37 games this season, trying to get his genu successful bully capable signifier to assistance the Clippers successful the playoffs. So far, it's responding.

"Tonight, s---, I don't consciousness similar helium missed a shot," Harden said of Leonard, who deed his archetypal six shots. Missed a 3-pointer, past deed six much successful a enactment and ended up scoring oregon assisting connected 51 of the Clippers' 105 points (49 percent).

"His shot-making quality is elite," continued Harden. "And that's the aggressiveness that we request from him. Doesn't substance what's going on, oregon who's guarding him, helium conscionable got to a spot and raised up. He's a large clip player."

He was arsenic ascendant defensively, holding the Nuggets to 5 points (2-of-12 tract goals) erstwhile helium was the superior defender. He besides came up with a immense bargain of a Nikola Jokic walk (his seventh turnover of the night) with 38 seconds remaining and the Clippers clinging to that three-point lead.

Leonard said that helium tries to support his absorption connected what's close successful beforehand of him. Whether it beryllium the adjacent play oregon the adjacent game. He doesn't let himself to deliberation excessively acold up oregon bespeak excessively profoundly connected wherever he's been. But aft this game, his finest playoff crippled since helium led the Clippers to the Western Conference finals successful 2021, Leonard noted that helium thanked respective staffers for everything they'd done to assistance him done his injuries the past fewer years.

"Anybody successful the concern that's playing and knows however hard it is to either to travel backmost successful an wounded oregon conscionable adjacent play an NBA, they recognize what we each spell through, what I spell through," Leonard said. "I'm not going to play similar I was before. I could beryllium playing better. I tin beryllium playing worse. It doesn't matter. I'm conscionable focused connected it now. It's a antithetic squad successful each concern and game, truthful I'm conscionable taking what's successful beforehand of maine and playing hard and similar I said, having amusive and conscionable surviving with the results."

Harden has lone been with the Clippers for a season, but said he's travel to admit each the enactment Leonard puts successful down the scenes conscionable to get backmost and play.

"It's each azygous day," Harden said of Leonard. "It's the preparation. It's similar the treatment, it's strengthening, you cognize what I mean, of body, it's correctives and past it's going connected tribunal and putting it each together. Luck hasn't been connected his broadside oregon immoderate lawsuit you mightiness telephone it. But helium loves to hoop. And arsenic you see, erstwhile he's connected the court, he's a killer. So I'm gladsome he's successful a bully abstraction close now."

Harden besides utilized the accidental to support Leonard from critics who speech astir the cognition that helium and the Clippers person "load managed" his injuries implicit the years.

"It's ever negative. It's ever what he's been done and what he's not capable to bash conscionable due to the fact that of thing that helium can't control," Harden said. "But we don't admit however large helium is erstwhile he's really retired determination and putting connected performances similar this tonight. I consciousness similar that astir everybody that's successful the league that goes done thing that is retired of their hands wherever they can't control. It's similar it's ever the negative- which is thing that we got to unrecorded with, I guess, successful the world. But arsenic for me, being adjacent to him each azygous time and seeing the enactment that helium puts in, you admit him."

Leonard had a stellar past period of the season, gathering to a nighttime similar Monday. The Clippers needed each ounce of what helium gave them to bushed the Nuggets, however.

Jokic recorded different triple-double (26 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) but was intelligibly frustrated by the antiaircraft coverages and physicality the Clippers threw astatine him. He finished with an uncharacteristic 7 turnover and adjacent missed 4 escaped throws Monday night.

Jamal Murray added 23 points and Michael Porter Jr. had 15, but Denver had nary reply for Leonard connected Monday nighttime and couldn't retrieve from their 20 turnovers, which led to 21 Clippers points.

The teams volition person 2 days disconnected earlier resuming their bid Thursday nighttime successful Los Angeles.