The Los Angeles Clippers extend their winning streak to three with an away victory against the Utah Jazz. They defeated the hosts 103-117 to register their eleventh win of the regular campaign. Kawhi Leonard played a huge role in the triumph as his endeavors on the court gave rise to key talking points after the match.
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One such instance took place late in the fourth quarter as the Clippers superstar charged in to win the possession back. He succeeded in doing so before attempting a one-legged 3-point floater with slightly more than a second left on the shot clock. The unique shot beat his contested defender to reach the basket as the 32-year-old put his team in a 15-point lead with 5:16 minutes left in the game.
Kawhi Leonard running 3-point shot pic.twitter.com/6HxuQa0CG3
— Oh no he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) December 9, 2023
The arena erupted as the audience could not believe their eyes. Soon after the final buzzer, Kawhi was praised for that shot while hinting at its potential influence on youth. The small forward just smiled at the compliment before leaving the court.
.@Andraya_Carter: “You’ll have kids practicing that one hand runner.”
Kawhi Leonard: https://t.co/nxqFKbXOfG pic.twitter.com/9YtGjfbOU4
— Oh no he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) December 9, 2023
After the match, Leonard expressed his thoughts on the moment as he even seemed surprised at the conversion of the shot attempt. Highlighting it as a comeback, the 2x champion revisited the entire moment. He mentioned,
“I needed it back since I airballed an easy shot that was open. The basketball gods got it back for me”.
Kawhi Leonard on his running three pointer: “I needed it back since I airballed an easy shot that was open. The basketball gods got it back for me.”
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) December 9, 2023
The Los Angeles Clippers are turning it around, with the help of Kawhi Leonard
The acquisition of James Harden came across as a poor decision in the beginning as the franchise lost six consecutive matches. Since then, they have won eight out of their last eleven games to claim the 9th spot on the Western Conference table. The momentum is in their favor as the team has finally gone past the 0.500 percentage.
Leonard’s form and availability had a massive role in the rise of the organization. After featuring in less than 60 regular season games in the last three campaigns, the 5x All-Star has already started in 20 out of the 21 games played this season. Currently, he is even averaging higher points per game than his career average.
This turnaround further proved the words of Paul George right when he praised his All-Star teammates, Kawhi, Harden, and Russell Westbrook. “I still feel I can be aggressive and understand that I have three other killers out there with me,” PG had mentioned previously. With positive signs all around and the latest boost in morale, the future looks bright for the franchise.
