Just having played the longest game of his NBA career Friday night against the Sacramento Kings, Kawhi Leonard has a Nikola Jokic challenge for Sunday. And this would not be an easy one either.
Advertisement
Both, The Klaw and The Joker are coming off losses that must have hurt them more than any other one in the season. Jokic and the Nuggets who were just missing Aaron Gordon last night, lost 112-94 to the Grizzlies who themselves were struggling without Steven Adams for more than a month.
A night prior, Leonard’s 44 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks were not enough for the Clippers. Paul George’s 34 points, 10 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook’s 17 points and 14 assists also couldn’t help get past the Kings who beat them 176-175, in the NBA’s second-highest-scoring game of all time.
Will Leonard play tonight against the #1 team of the West just a game after he played the longest NBA match of his career? Let’s find out.
Is Kawhi Leonard playing tonight vs the Nuggets?
The 2x Finals MVP will be taking the court tonight in Denver inside Ball Arena as only Ivica Zubac is on the Clippers’ injury report.
Hi, Hello
Same injury report for Clippers against Nuggets. Everyone is available, except for Ivica Zubac.
Have a nice day!
— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) February 26, 2023
It might be a surprise to fans who flooded social media with “Leonard’s done for the season/career” memes after Kawhi played his career’s longest game when he competed for 46:02 minutes in the loss against the Kings.
So, this game will be an exciting one indeed where both teams and superstars will have something extra to prove other than trying to win the game.
How strong are the Clippers to win it all?
After the addition of Bones Hyland, Eric Gordon, Russell Westbrook, and Mason Plumlee, the Clips have become stronger both in the backcourt and the frontcourt.
Their 3-point shooting would also be significantly improved with Hyland and Gordon both being better than 37% converters from the distance.
The team’s defense will also improve after the addition of these pieces and John Wall’s departure. But how they’ll gel before the Playoffs will have to be seen in a few days and this game against the Nuggets can set the tone for it.
