NBA playoffs 2025: Vintage Kawhi Leonard outshines Nikola Jokić as Clippers tie series with Nuggets

Yahoo

05-05-2025

DENVER — The Denver Nuggets are on notice.
Vintage Kawhi Leonard is back. And he led the Los Angeles Clippers to a 105-102 Game 2 victory over the Nuggets on Monday to tie the first-round playoff series at 1-1.
The Clippers surged into the No. 5 seed, thanks to an 18-3 finish in the regular season sparked by a resurgent Leonard, whose Clippers tenure is so far known more for his injuries than any winning of significance.
Leonard turned it up another notch Monday night in a performance reminiscent of his 2019 playoff run with the Toronto Raptors that ended with an NBA championship and his second Finals MVP trophy.
In a game featuring three-time MVP Nikola Jokić, Leonard was the best player on the floor. Leonard shot 9-of-10 from the field in a scorching first half that netted 21 points, including a 3-pointer to beat the second-quarter buzzer.
He continued to give the Nuggets fits and finished the game with 39 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals. He shot 15-of-19 from the field and 4-of-7 from 3. He hit a jumper that extended the Clippers' lead to the final margin in the final minute, then came up with a steal on Denver's next possession.
The Nuggets threw multiple defenders at Leonard, including Jamal Murray, Christian Braun and Michael Porter Jr. None was able to slow the six-time All-Star who repeatedly scored at will from 3 and from midrange over helpless defenders.
'This is what Kawhi lives for," head coach Tyronn Lue said after the game. "He's gonna try to get to the point where he's healthy for the playoffs. We know if we've got healthy Kawhi, we can win the series. And it just shows you what he's capable of doing."
Leonard joined the Clippers alongside Paul George in 2019 to much fanfare, fresh off his second NBA championship. Playing alongside another two-way All-Star in George, Leonard was expected to once and for all lift a Clippers team that's never been to the NBA Finals into championship contention.
The Clippers advanced to the Western Conference finals in Leonard's second season in Los Angeles in 2021. But they haven't advanced out of the first round since. And Leonard was limited to just four games in the previous two postseasons due to multiple injuries.
Leonard's career has been intertwined with significant injuries since his exit from the San Antonio Spurs. And fair or not, he and his injuries have been blamed for the Clippers' playoff failures since his arrival in Los Angeles.
Lue painted a different picture Monday night, crediting Leonard's dedication to his health and his recovery in leading to his performance against the Nuggets.
"He's a hard worker," Lue said. "He's dedicated, like I said, to keeping his body right. Sometimes a bunch of things happen. You can't control that. It's not from a lack of work. It's not from a lack of wanting to be here.
"Sometimes some bad luck hits. But he's gonna keep coming back. He's gonna get to this point like he is right now. And that's why I'm just so happy for him."
James Harden, who tallied 18 points and seven assists Monday, has played with Leonard for two seasons since joining the Clippers early in the 2023-24 campaign. He joined the Clippers on the heels of Leonard's meniscus tear that sidelined him two games into a 2023 first-round series against the Suns. He played alongside Leonard through another knee injury that limited Leonard to two games against the Mavericks last postseason.
He's been around Leonard through his recent rehab and recovery process. He has no doubts about Leonard's dedication to the game.
"Every single day," Harden said of Leonard's work. "It's like the preparation, it's the treatment. It's the strengthening of his body. It's the correctives and then it's going on the court and putting it all together.
"It's consistently every single day. Luck hasn't been on his side. ... He loves to hoop. As you see, when he's on the court, he's a killer."
As for Leonard himself? He was his usual understated self after his best playoff performance in years.
"I'm just happy that I'm able to move," Leonard said when asked about how he felt. "I'm coming out of the game feeling well. That's what I'm taking my pride in. Just being healthy.
"I've sat and watched these playoff games and series for the past years. Being able to be on the frontline out there, it just feels good for me, whichever way the game goes. That's what I'm taking pride in, just want to be out there play and be frontline for my team."
While Leonard shined, Jokić struggled to produce early in a matchup that's given him fits all season.
Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who stands at 7-feet and 240 pounds, defended Jokić as well as anybody during the regular season. He continued to limit Jokić on Monday while holding the MVP finalist to eight first-half points. Jokić attempted just six field goals before halftime — five of them from 3 and the other a dunk. He didn't shoot his first free throw until the third quarter.
Jokić rallied to finish with a team-high 26 points and tallied a triple-double with 12 rebounds and 10 assists. But he finished 6-of-10 from the line and turned the ball over seven times.
While Jokić was limited, the Nuggets leaned on his supporting cast, including Porter, who bounced back from a 3-point performance in 26 minutes in Denver's Game 1 overtime win. Porter started hot and had six points on four field-goal attempts before taking his first break on the bench. He finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 6-of-11 from the field.
He came up with multiple big buckets in the fourth quarter, including a put-back layup and a pull-up 3 that tied the game a 96-96. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, meanwhile, took on larger roles throughout the game as the Clippers made Jokić the center of their defensive attention.
But in the end, Leonard's big night proved too much for the Nuggets to overcome. The Clippers, once an afterthought in the West, now have home-court advantage as the series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday.