Inglewood, CA (News4Usonline) – The Clippers have won 7 of their last 8 games, climbing to within 2 games of the tenth spot in the Western Conference after starting the season in the cellar at 6-21.
The turnaround has largely been on the back of Kawhi Leonard, who had another solid night against Golden State, with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists, leading the charge without James Harden.
At a certain point late in the game, the Warriors decided they had enough of Leonard scoring on them and started sending doubles for the rest of the game. He reluctantly let his teammates finish the job as they held on for a 1-point win.
“I love when they double-team because we get an easy shot every time. We plan for that, and I pray that teams blitz us,” said Tyronn Lue of the late-game strategy.
Leonard is in the middle of arguably his best season with the Clippers since joining the franchise in 2019. He is averaging a career high of 28.3 points and leads the NBA in steals per game.
He missed a stretch of games due to injury, but this time around, it was a sprained ankle rather than issues with either of his knees. It was 10 consecutive games missed while recovering, and LA was 2-8 while he was out.
Other than that, Leonard has played in every other game this season, including back-to-backs, which he has routinely missed during his time in Los Angeles. Playing on consecutive nights this year speaks volumes, as this might be the healthiest Kawhi Leonard the league has seen in quite some time.
The Clippers have been decimated by injuries. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Derrick Jones Jr., and James Harden were all out against the Warriors, and Bradley Beal (hip) and Chris Paul (non-injury related) are both done for the year. Ivica Zubac missed some time after twisting an ankle recently as well.
“I thought when Kawhi and Brad went down it was really hard on us from a scoring aspect, and then Bogi went down, and DJ went down,” said Lue. “It happens around the league; it is part of it. We were unable to finish games and were asking James to do so much for us just to keep us in games.”
Harden was listed as out with shoulder stiffness, but it was likely just a rest night and not much of a concern.
The number of players missing time, along with the poor start record-wise, has forced the Clippers’ hand. Leonard and Harden have to play big minutes almost every night, and they have responded with fantastic seasons up to this point.
The issue with Leonard is that you never know when he might all of a sudden be out for an undisclosed amount of time if his knees flare up. If that happens, LA would have very few places to turn.
For the time being, he might be all they need. Leonard is playing like one of the top-10 players in the world.
The two-time Finals MVP has 9 games of 30-plus points, including 41 in a recent win over the Rockets, and a career high of 55 last week against Detroit. During the Clippers’ six-game winning streak that got them back into the playoff hunt, Leonard averaged 39 a night.
People tend to forget how good at basketball Leonard is when his body is right. He is a force of nature on the court who, much like LeBron James, can use his strength and size to bully opponents on both ends of the floor. While he does not possess the same level of playmaking ability as James, he has the killer instincts and defensive prowess of an MJ or Kobe.
“Kawhi is going demand a lot of attention on the floor, so just keep trusting the guys and making the right play or pass. Tonight he was able to do that, and other guys stepped up,” said Lue.
Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller filled the empty guard minutes in Harden’s absence. They have both shown to be quality young NBA players whenever they see the floor; their opportunities have just been sparse up to this point. Against Golden State, they each got significant run, with Sanders drawing the start.
Sanders finished the night with 20 points and 7 rebounds, while Miller chipped in 9 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, and a steal.
“His poise and ability to understand what we are doing offensively and defensively. From where he started early on into the season to now being able to get consistent minutes has been huge,” Lue said about Sanders after the game.
The rookie (Sanders) and third-year player (Miller) will be crucial in filling in the gaps for the remainder of the season.
Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.” Email Benjamin at benverbrugge8@gmail.com.
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