INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Kawhi Leonard may never be the same player he was when he was a two-time MVP of the NBA Finals as he helped San Antonio (2014) and Toronto (2019) win championships.
But he hasn’t been bad for the Los Angeles Clippers this season, even in a limited capacity.
And he certainly reminded the Mavericks on Friday that there still is plenty left in Leonard’s arsenal.
The veteran forward had 20 points and didn’t have to play in the last 10 minutes of the game with the Clippers comfortably ahead and cruising to a 114-91 victory.
Leonard was one of the top players in the league when he was with the Spurs and Raptors. But a torn ACL robbed him of a season and he’s fought other injuries in recent seasons.
But he has feasted this season when he’s played – averaging 20.8 points in the 33 games in which he’s played. It’s about as consistent as Leonard has looked. He didn’t play his first game this season until Jan. 4.
“I thought last year, he was great, too,” Clippers’ coach Ty Lue said. “I don’t know how many games he played last year, but I thought there was a stretch where we were, like, 29-5 or whatever and he was playing some of the best basketball I’ve seen him play. And now getting back to that point again this late in the season is really good for us.”
The Mavericks couldn’t contain him, but with two of their rim-protectors out (Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II), Leonard didn’t have a lot of resistance when he got past the initial line of defense.
They are hoping that changes in the rematch Saturday night.
And they might change simply by necessity for the Clippers. Leonard has not played in back-to-back games yet this season. This set with the Mavericks represents their last back-to-back of the season.
Here’s our other takeaways from Friday’s loss:
Hardy can’t catch a break: For the fourth time this season, Jaden Hardy took a fluke step and turned his right ankle, departing the game with 2:13 to play in the fourth quarter. “It’s kind of been the story of our life this season,” said Naji Marshall. “Hate to see it happen. Prayers out for a speedy recovery. But we have to figure out how we can maintain and just get in the play-in.” Hardy wasn’t having a great shooting game (no Mavericks were) but he was one of the most aggressive Mavericks offensively and as he was being handed crutches after the game, it did not look like he was going to be returning to action soon.
Welcome back, Kai: The Clippers posted a nice “welcome back” message for Kai Jones on their impressive full-circle video boards during the first quarter. The 6-11 big man played in 28 games for LA earlier this season before being waived on March 1. He subsequently signed a two-way contract with the Mavericks and has been one of the keys to them surviving with injuries to Anthony Davis and their other big men. “Kai’s been great ever since he put on a Mavs’ uniform,” coach Jason Kidd said. “When we’re healthy, someone has to sit and (Daniel) Gafford, D-Live (Dereck Lively II) and AD I don’t think are going to sit right now. But it also gives us an option to play two bigs. Kai’s been phenomenal. We’re very lucky to have him because he’s part of what saved our season.”
Dark-horse Clippers? The Clips have had their ups and downs, but they have been playing well at the right time, winning five of their last six and 10 of their last 12. They are battling for the No. 6 playoff seed, which would allow them to avoid the play-in tournament and gain precious days of rest before the playoffs open. “The No. 1 goal is to make the playoffs, whatever direction you got to go,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “Just making the playoffs would be huge. We’re getting healthy and the way we’ve been playing of late . . . if we get to the playoffs, I like our chances. Once you start the playoffs, it’s a whole different season. A lot of teams are jumbled up right now. We just got to take care of our business.” A lot of that could be applied to the Mavericks, too.
X: @ESefko
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