LA Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Versus Durant Brings Back Rivalry
This Tuesday night sets up another colossal NBA matchup that could be a potential NBA Finals matchup between the LA Clippers (16-5) and the Brooklyn Nets (13-9) in Brooklyn. This matchup will feature two teams loaded with star players, but it will be a battle between two top-tier superstars: Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Nets forward Kevin Durant.
The Clippers are running off a 10-1 win streak in the last 11 games including a three-game streak on the road. Los Angeles will have the second-to-last game of their six game Eastern road trip against the Nets and their new big three. This game will be one of the biggest games of the season for both Leonard and Durant in their chase for their third NBA Championship.
There are many similarities between Leonard and Durant going into this season. Both players are in their second season with their third team in their NBA careers, and they personally chose their team and co-star. Both Leonard and Durant have been two-time NBA Finals MVP in their short career. For Leonard, he chose to play for the Clippers with six-time NBA All-Star shooting guard/small forward Paul George. For Durant, he chose to level the superteam in the Golden State Warriors to create his own superteam with Five-Time NBA All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving.
These forwards are both once-in-a-generation type players on both ends of the court. Both Durant and Leonard have been chasing multiple NBA titles, and both were included, after their title, in the “Best Players in the World” discussion along with LeBron James. They have been neck and neck in the list of top players in the league but the discussion has always been James versus Leonard or James versus Durant but never Leonard versus Durant.
Kawhi Leonard vs. Kevin Durant is another chapter in a quiet rivalry.
Past Matchups Between the Elite Forwards
There was a potential Leonard versus Durant NBA Finals matchup in the 2018-2019 NBA Season. Unfortunately, due to a strained right calf, Durant missed the first four games for the Warriors versus the Toronto Raptors in their only season with Leonard. Durant would come back for game five only to play 12 minutes before suffering an Achilles tear. Leonard and the Raptors would go on to win the NBA Championship with in a 4-2 series win.
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Durant and Leonard have experienced a quiet rivalry since Leonard’s first season in the 2011-2012 NBA season. They have faced each other a total of 33 times including 20 matchups in the playoffs. Durant has won 18 of the 33 matchups
In recent years, the rivalry has become more of a neck and neck battle between the two superstar players. The players have met five times in the playoffs, but the last time they each played in a full series was in the 2016 Western Conference Semi-Finals where the Thunder won the series 4-2. Durant has a 2-1 series lead in three full playoff series matchups.
Leonard and Durant Set Up For Epic West Versus East Matchup
This game on Tuesday night will be the potential renewal of a rivalry between two of the NBA’s most electrifying players. Both Leonard and Durant are looking to have their teams win their first-ever NBA Championship title. They are looking to create a reputation for themselves as well as their teams as consistent NBA title-contending franchises, despite their teams being overshadowed and sometimes demeaned by their fellow NBA city teams in the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks.
Leonard and the Clippers are set to face Durant and the Nets without their starting point guard Patrick Beverley for the fourth consecutive game. Durant is a quick but aggressive playmaker who can take control of the Nets’ top-ranked scoring offense in the NBA (122.2 points per game). Durant is second in the NBA in points per game (30.9) behind Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal (34.9). To go along with Durant’s elite scoring capabilities, the Nets also have two high-caliber offensive scorers in point guard Kyrie Irving (27.6 points per game) and newly acquired shooting guard James Harden (24.3 points per game).
For the Clippers to slow down the Nets, they must be able to score early and score often. The LA Clippers are ranked seventh in the NBA in points per game (114.5), fourth in field-goal percentage (48%), and first in three-point shooting percentage (41.6%). This is due to the high-scoring of Leonard (25.9 points per game on a 50.8% field-goal percentage and 41% three-point shooting percentage) and Paul George (23.6 points per game on a 50.2% field-goal shooting and 45.4% three-point shooting percentage).
There is an edge that the Clippers have in the game against the Nets. Defensively, the Clippers are much more efficient as they are ranked fourth in the league in points allowed per game (106.7). The Nets have one of the worst defenses in the league as they rank 27th in points allowed per game (117.7). In their last game against the Washington Wizards, the Nets were up 146-141 with 12.3 seconds left in the game. The Nets gave up two three-point shots, gave up a significant turnover, and two free-throw shots.
LA Clippers vs Brooklyn Nets is potential Finals preview. dark. Next
This game will be a big opportunity for the Clippers to remain at the top of the NBA Power Rankings of the NBA and ESPN. This game will also be one of the more important matchups in the Eastern Conference. Anytime superstars face each other on the court, it attracts large viewership. Leonard versus Durant will continue to grow after a small hiatus into one of the NBA’s most talented superstar matchups for many more years to come.