DENVER (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting and the Los Angeles Clippers evened their first-round playoff series against the Nuggets with a 105-102 win in Denver on Monday night.
“It feels like he didn't miss a shot,” James Harden said. “His shot-making ability is elite.”
Good thing, too, because his teammates were a combined 26 of 66 for a 39% clip.
“I made shots tonight,” Leonard said. “I just keep playing, try to stay in the zone no matter if I’m making or missing shots.”
And the fifth-seeded Clippers needed every bit of his brilliance to snatch the homecourt advantage in the series from the fourth-seeded Nuggets.
“This is what Kawhi lives for, getting healthy for the playoffs,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “We know if we've got a healthy Kawhi, we can win any series.”
After appearing in just two playoff games over the last two years, the 33-year-old two-time Finals MVP is healthy and looking like his old self after missed the first 34 games of the season because of lingering issues with his surgically repaired knees.
“I'm just happy I'm able to move, you know, coming out of the game feeling well,” Leonard said. “I sat and watched these playoff games the last two years, so yeah, to be front-line out there, it feels good.”
Christian Braun was long on a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left, and Nikola Jokic, who recorded his 19th career playoff triple-double, grabbed the rebound but also missed a 3, with 1 second remaining.
The series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 Thursday night.
The Clippers, who lost Game 1 in overtime, haven’t lost back-to-back games since March 2-4, a stretch of 23 games, and they handed David Adelman his first loss in five games since replacing Michael Malone in a stunning move on the eve of the playoffs.
Jokic, just the third player to average a triple-double over a season, had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists and Jamal Murray added 23 points for the Nuggets, who also got a bounce-back game from Michael Porter Jr. (15 points and 15 rebounds) after his 3-point performance in Game 1.
It wasn't enough against Leonard, who had 21 points at the break, including a pull-up 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer that broke a 52-all tie.
“To his credit, he was awesome tonight,” Adelman said.
“He just got to his spots,” Murray said. “And even when we're there he made some tough shots. He had a night. He got going and he was tough to stop.”
Leonard also had a key steal of a Jokic pass with 37 seconds remaining in the game, but Harden missed at the other end and Braun grabbed the defensive rebound with 11 seconds left.
The Nuggets committed 20 turnovers — the same number the Clippers had in Game 1 — and missed eight free throws. “That was a killer,” Adelman said.
Jokic had an uncharacteristic seven turnovers and missed 4 of 10 free throws.
Porter sprained his left shoulder in the closing minutes when he turned the ball over and hit the floor with Kris Dunn rolling over him in the scramble. Porter grimaced while getting dressed afterward and said he hoped that his shooting in L.A. won't be affected being that it was his left shoulder.
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