The Los Angeles Clippers notched a 105-102 road win over the Denver Nuggets to even the series 1-1 before heading back to Intuit Dome for Games 3 and 4.
Kawhi Leonard put up a vintage playoff performance with 39 points, three rebounds, five assists, two steals, and four three-pointers on an efficient 15-for-19 shooting from the field. James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Norman Powell added 18, 16, and 13 points.
Leonard also made his presence felt on the defensive end, holding the Denver Nuggets to five points (2-for-12 shooting) when he was the primary defender. The six-time NBA All-Star also had a crucial steal on Nikola Jokic with 38 seconds left, as the Los Angeles Clippers held on for the victory.
With Leonard looking healthy for the first time in a long time, the Los Angeles Clippers are viewed as the dark horse contenders in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles Clippers News: James Harden praises Kawhi Leonard’s 39-point explosion vs. Denver Nuggets
During the postgame interview, James Harden took the opportunity to praise Kawhi Leonard and defend him from the bashers who criticized him for “load management” over the past few years.
“His shotmaking ability is elite,” Harden said about Leonard via ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “And that’s the aggressiveness that we need from him. Doesn’t matter what’s going on, or who’s guarding him, he just got to a spot and raised up. He’s a big-time player.”
“But we don’t appreciate how great he is when he’s actually out there and putting on performances like this tonight. I feel like that about everybody that’s in the league that goes through something that is out of their hands where they can’t control. It’s like it’s always the negative — which is something that we got to live with, I guess, in the world. But as for me, being close to him every single day and seeing the work that he puts in, you appreciate him,” he added.
