Kawhi Leonard was available for Tuesday's playoff game. Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Clippers, so was Luka Doncic.
The Dallas Mavericks star led his team to a 96-93 victory over the Clippers, with Leonard returning from injury in Game 2, ending the first-round series heading to Dallas 1-1. Doncic had 32 points, nine assists and six rebounds.
Game 3 is scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN).
The defense continued to struggle in Tuesday's game until the fourth quarter, with the Clippers in particular struggling to get consistent shots. They finished the game making 32-of-87 field goals (36.8%) and 8-of-30 (26.7%) from 3-point range, but if they didn't have a solid game in terms of turnovers, the game It could have been worse. (8) Offensive rebounds (14).
The Mavericks held the lead for most of the game, but the Clippers were always there. Although they took the lead once in each quarter, the Mavericks fought back with significant runs at every turn.
Doncic hit a dagger shot with about 87 seconds left in the game.
But the Clippers still had some breathing room, cutting the Mavs' lead to just three points with 20 seconds left. Paul George's buzzer-beating 3-pointer made the score a little closer than it had been at the start of the game.
Leonard was quiet in his return by his standards, posting 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals in 35 minutes. He missed the final eight games of the regular season and Sunday's Game 1 against the Mavericks due to lingering inflammation in his knee.
Head coach Tyronn Lue clarified his situation to reporters Tuesday night.
“He checks all the boxes, and the medicals have done a great job just making sure he checks those boxes.” Lou said. “We never put a player on the floor who isn't ready, so he's ready.”
Leonard is questionable for Game 1 until the Clippers rule him out before the tip.he I participated in the shooting on Tuesday morning.Expectations were high in Los Angeles whether he would be able to play in Game 2. The Clippers made the call after pregame warmups.
The Clippers lost Game 1 without Leonard.
The Clippers won Game 1, 109-97, despite Leonard's absence. The Clippers held the Mavericks to 30 points on 22.5% shooting in the first half, with James Harden scoring 20 points in the first half with 28 points. Los Angeles led 56-30 at halftime, but held off a Dallas comeback in the second half. The Mavericks never challenged the Clippers' blowout victory.
Of course, the Clippers would be better off with Leonard in the lineup. A six-time All-Star, seven-time All-Defensive Team selection, and five-time All-NBA selection, Leonard is one of the best two-way players in basketball.
This season, he averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from 3-point range. Until his knee problems, he had largely avoided the injury concerns that have plagued his career. He played in 68 regular season games, the most since the 2016-17 season with the San Antonio Spurs.
