Kawhi Leonard plays first back-to-back of season as Clippers keep pace in West race
Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points in the second game on back-to-back nights as the Clippers defeated the Dallas Mavericks to pull even with Minnesota and Memphis.
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They all realize what’s at stake and that having a healthy Kawhi Leonard gives the Clippers their best chance to win now when it matters so much in the jumbled Western Conference.
So, when Leonard played on the second night of back-to-back games this season and his first in more than a year against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, it was clear how significant this game was to the Clippers.
When Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said, “we’re fighting for our lives” and that “right now we need all hands on deck,” it was clear that they were doing all in their power to stay alive for the sixth seed, the automatic playoff spot and avoid the NBA’s play-in tournament.
The Clippers are still in the hunt for a top-six spot because their big three of Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac were the forces during their 135-104 win over the Maverick at Intuit Dome.
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For Leonard, who had 29 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes, to reach this point, the team’s medical staff had to approve him playing in back-to-back games.
“Everything has been going well,” he said. “So, we had discussions and we all thought it was a good time to play.
“Like I said, it was just about listening to them, about their scenarios, how they calculate things. And then just me listening and not trying to be a superhero and just trying to stay healthy, really. That’s my No. 1 goal. Like I always said, for this year is coming out of this season healthy.”
Harden had a double-double with 29 points and 14 assists as the Clippers won their fourth straight game.
Zubac had his career-high 11th consecutive double-double game with 25 points and 10 rebounds, which gave him 4,238 boards as a Clipper and pushed him past Bob McAdoo for sole possession of fifth place on the franchise's all-time rebound list. Zubac was 11-for-11 shooting from the field while making all three of his free throws.
“Those three guys were really good tonight,” Lue said. “Just having a professional win to come out the second night of a back-to-back and play the way we did was pretty impressive.”
Anthony Davis led the Mavericks with 29 points and nine rebounds.
Once again, the Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies have identical records at 46-32, all of them a half-game behind fifth-seeded Golden State in the West. Minnesota is the sixth seed, the Clippers the seventh and the Grizzlies the eighth based on tiebreaks.
Leonard had missed the first 34 games of the season while recovering from a right knee injury. He played in his first game Jan. 4, but didn’t play in a back-to-back contest until Saturday night.
“Like I said, he’s been trying to play in them, but we were just making sure we did the right thing and were smart about it,” Lue said. “So, the time is here.”
Since Leonard played just 24 minutes Friday night here against the Mavericks, he was well rested and had not put a lot of stress on his body.
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That made the decision much easier for Leonard to play in his first back-to-back game since March 24-25 against the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers, respectively.
“He’s a bad dude on the court, both sides of the floor,” Zubac said about Leonard. “And I was happy to see him play back to back. It’s been a long journey for him, but he worked his tail off."
The Clippers have two days off before they host San Antonio on Tuesday night. The Clippers' last home game is Wednesday night against the Rockets in another back-to-back set of games.
“We’ll see when that time comes,” Leonard said about playing in those sets of games. “I’m about to focus on this win tonight and get some treatment and see how it goes the next few days.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
