NBA Playoffs: Vintage Kawhi Leonard outshines Nikola Jokić as Clippers tie up series with Nuggets

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DENVER — The Denver Nuggets are on notice.

Vintage Kawhi Leonard is back. And he led the Los Angeles Clippers to a xx-xx Game 2 victory over the Nuggets in Denver 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 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 Jokic, 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 late jumper that extended the Clippers' lead to 105-102 in the final minute, then came up with a steal on Denver's next possession. The 105-102 advantage stood as the final score.

The Nuggets threw multiple defenders at Leonard including Jamal Murray, Christian Braun and Michael Porter Jr. None were able slow the six-time All-Star who repeatedly scored at will from 3 and from the midrange over defenders hopeless to stop him.

Ivica Zubac continues to give Jokić problems

While Leonard shone, 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. 

He rallied to finish with a team-high 26 points.

Will Jokić's supporting cast be enough moving forward?

While Jokić was limited, the Nuggets leaned on his supporting cast including Michael Porter Jr., who bounced back from a 3-point performance in just 26 minutes in Denver's Game 1 overtime win. Porter started hot and had six points on 4 field goal attempts before taking his first break on the bench. 

He came up with multiple big buckets in the fourth quarter, including a putback 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.