Kawhi Leonard has a monster night
On a night when much of what the LA Clippers were trying to do on offense simply didn’t work out, Kawhi Leonard understood that he had to take over.
He wouldn’t be denied in his effort.
The two-way star — who sat out of Wednesday night’s game due to load management — went off for 38 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and an assist in 34 minutes of action against his former team.
Per the team, it was the first time that a member of the LA Clippers had recorded at least 38 points and 12 rebounds since Blake Griffin went for 40 points and 12 rebounds on November 25, 2015.
Leonard was money when it mattered, too, as 25 of those points came in the second half. He was more efficient in the second as well, shooting 10-of-16 from the floor compared to the 5-of-16 mark he set in the first.
It was the best that Leonard has looked all season, and given the timing of it, it wouldn’t surprise us if he had a few more games similar to this one down the road.
Bucket after bucket, Leonard looked like he was growing increasingly confident. He put on a clinic from the midrange, hitting turnaround buckets and pull-up jumpers from all over the court, usually with at least one set of hands in front of his face.
But Leonard didn’t care. He was scoring at will Thursday night. Nobody could stop him.
38 on the night. 25 in the second half. 15 in the fourth.@kawhileonard grew stronger with each quarter. pic.twitter.com/a9EtVYBpli
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) November 1, 2019
Leonard’s big night was exactly what the Clippers needed, too. Without him on the floor against the Utah Jazz, LA struggled to create open looks and move the ball around. The result was a low number of assists and a high level of turnovers, which kept the Clippers from getting too close at the end of the game.
So far, it looks like there are two versions of Leonard: One is the version we saw tonight, that goes out and takes (and makes) as many shots as he pleases; while the other looks to move the ball around and find easy looks for his teammates, while still getting a few buckets of his own.
Fortunately for LA, both have looked equally dominant, and that’s a trend that should continue as the season progresses.