A return of the greats, at the height of their figure. Between injuries and some controversies, his figure has become blurred in recent times. Although of course, his talent is so enormous that from time to time it emerges with all its splendor. And the way in which Kawhi Leonard once again showed his best version, when some consider him to be a star in his decline, it was with a wild night in which he managed his best mark in his career in the NBA: 55 points to give them Los Angeles Clippers the victory over Detroit Pistons by 112-99.
Kawhi Leonard was decisive in the two rings he has in his showcase with San Antonio Spurs (2014) and with Toronto Raptors (2019)although when he landed in the Clippers his figure is related to injuries and in recent times with distrust due to the allegedly fraudulent sponsorship contract that the company signed for him. Aspiration to avoid the salary limit imposed by the NBA. Although the irregularity was allegedly committed by the company, according to Steve Ballmerthe owner of the Clippers.
Therefore, when many considered that Kawhi was finished, the 34-year-old guard showed that such a thing is far from happening. For this reason, the 55 points seemed little for what he showed against the Pistons, since he played only six minutes in the last quarter and even when his coach told him that he could give him more minutes to break the franchise’s best record, he preferred to take care of himself: “I told him ‘I’d rather play another game than take risks in this one.’ Hopefully we can get another victory and be in the same situation”.
With 55 points he equaled the best score in Clippers history and now shares that record with his teammate James Harden. This madness of Leonard, are the continuation of the 41 that he scored in the previous game against the Houston Rocketswhich makes him the second player in Clippers history with two consecutive games of 40 or more points, after the historic Bob McAdoo.
The star continues to make a difference when he is healthy and in his game 900 between regular season and playoffs. That is why in the clash against the Pistons, Kawhi had five steals (in addition to 11 rebounds) making him the only player in history to close a scoresheet with 55 points, five steals and 3 blocks since steals were counted (1973-74).
He is also the first player to score 50 or more points and five steals in three quarters in the play-by-play era, and tied Harden as the only players to close a game with 55 or more points, five or more steals, and 10 or more rebounds in the last 50 years in the NBA.
“He’s finally back and healthy and can finally play enough minutes to be very effective. When healthy, he is one of the best players in the NBA. We have been able to see it lately”said Tyronn Luethe Clippers coach, about Kawhi Leonard who averages 39 points in the last 4 games.
While the star of the Los Angeles franchise explained: “I try to get the ball to my teammates and share it, but The coaches need the entire game to be more aggressivesimply a different evolution for the team. “I try to shoot more three-pointers and grow in volume in my game.”
While James Harden, another of the Clippers stars, said about Kawhi: “It was beautiful to see. How efficient it was. How easy it was. It was so fluid. He got where he wanted… I’m very happy for him. Because behind the scenes, you see someone and how hard they work… For him, what he’s had to overcome just to come out and look like himself, it’s a beautiful thing to see”.
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