In keeping with what has been a standard operating procedure since Kawhi Leonard has returned, the Clippers didn’t play their All-Star forward in the fourth quarter Sunday night against the Lakers.
Even when the Clippers’ 26-point lead in the third quarter was sliced to 15 by the end of the quarter and to 11 early in the fourth, Leonard sat on the bench.
But during the 24 minutes and 17 seconds Leonard did play — the most he has played this season — he was the sharpest he has been in his five games this season.
He was efficient in scoring his 19 points, going nine for 13 from the field.
“I’m happy with the progress,” Leonard said after the Clippers’ 116-102 win at the Intuit Dome. “For me, it’s just about how I’m feeling and I’m coming out of the games feeling great. But I still got work to do and we’re going to keep taking each step.”
Leonard missed the first 34 games of the season because of right knee inflammation. Sunday night gave him another opportunity to build.
When Leonard wheeled around Gabe Vincent toward the baseline and scored on a layup in the second quarter, it was another sign he was taking a step in the right direction.
“Like I said, I liked Kawhi’s pace, getting to a spot,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “We just got to keep building and continue to keep stacking days.”
Lue said Leonard will not play Monday night against the Chicago Bulls. Leonard also didn’t play Thursday in Portland after the Clippers played the day before.
The Clippers have four more games this week, including a back-to-back set on Wednesday against Boston and Thursday against Washington, which probably means Leonard won’t play in one of those games. The Clippers finish their five-game homestand Saturday against Milwaukee.
They are playing an extra game this week after the NBA made schedule changes in the wake of postponements caused by wildfires in the L.A. area.
“We go day by day,” said Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who was one rebound short of another 20-20 game with 21 points and 19 rebounds. “You try to win game by game. We were focused on tonight. We weren’t looking ahead. So, tomorrow is a new day, forget about everything that happened tonight and try to go and get another one. Then get our rest, recovery on the day off and get ready again. There’s nothing you can do. There’s nothing you can change.”
Despite his injury-marred career, Leonard passed the 14,000-point mark Sunday. He’s hopeful he can achieve even more as he continues his comeback from injury.
“I’m happy that I was able to play along enough to get to that point,” said Leonard, who has 14,005 career points. “But for me though, I’m not looking at that as a milestone. I’m more of a team guy and want to get the win, get down, be the last team standing and that’s what I played for. But thank God for me to be able to get that opportunity, and most people don’t. So, I would like to take every opportunity and blessing and don’t take it for granted.”
In the midst of the Clippers rolling over the Lakers, James Harden reached yet another milestone. He moved into 14th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 26,721 points, passing Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.
Harden had 21 points and 12 assists against the Lakers.
