Limited by injuries, veteran forward Kawhi Leonard appeared in just four playoff games for the Clippers from 2022-24 and wasn’t himself last spring, scoring just 24 total points in the two postseason appearances he was able to make. So it was a welcome sight to see a healthy Leonard in peak form on Monday in Denver, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
Leonard was dominant on both ends of the court, scoring 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting and holding Nuggets players to five points on 2-of-12 shooting when he was the primary defender, per Shelburne. Led by their star forward, the Clippers pulled out a 105-102 win to even the series at one game apiece.
“I’m just happy that I’m able to move,” Leonard said after the game. “That’s what I’m taking pride in is just being healthy. I sat and watched these playoff games and series the past two years. So being able to be front-line out there, it just feels good for me no matter which way the game goes.”
While Leonard has faced criticism over the years due to a perception that he requires constant “load management,” teammate James Harden made it clear that Leonard has worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to get back to 100% and to turn in performances like Monday’s.
“It’s every single day. It’s the preparation. It’s like the treatment, it’s strengthening, you know what I mean, of body, it’s correctives and then it’s going on court and putting it all together,” Harden said. “Luck hasn’t been on his side or whatever case you might call it. But he loves to hoop. And as you see, when he’s on the court, he’s a killer. So I’m glad he’s in a good space right now.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Suns forward Bol Bol played relatively well as a regular part of the rotation for about a month after the trade deadline, then logged just 29 total minutes across six outings in Phoenix’s final 16 games. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (YouTube link; Twitter video link), the decision to remove Bol from the rotation stemmed from an incident during a March 12 game vs. Houston. Former head coach Mike Budenholzer was “irate” over the fact that Bol made no effort to come to his teammate’s defense during an altercation between Mason Plumlee and Steven Adams, shooting layups away from the crowd as other players converged on the scrum (Twitter video link).
- In a YouTube video and an Insider-only ESPN.com article, Bobby Marks of ESPN explores what’s on tap for the Kings this summer after a disappointing 2024/25 season that resulted in a change atop their front office. While much of the focus in Sacramento will be on Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine, who have earned a combined 11 All-Star nods, Marks points out that the team will also face decisions on Keegan Murray, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension, and Keon Ellis, who could be made a restricted free agent if his team option is declined.
- Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee also considers the next steps for the Kings, noting that new general manager Scott Perry will have to “reestablish a sense of direction and trust” within the organization and will have to make several major decisions, starting with whether or not to retain head coach Doug Christie.
While all three players put up monster numbers, Gilgeous-Alexander is generally considered the favorite to win the award due in large part to the Thunder’s team success this season. Oklahoma City won a league-high 68 regular season games, compared to 50 for Jokic’s Nuggets and 48 for Antetokounmpo’s Bucks.
Antetokounmpo sat out Milwaukee’s regular season finale on Sunday, but was stellar in three Bucks wins over Minnesota, New Orleans, and Detroit earlier in the week, averaging 27.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 10.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 34.0 minutes per game.