Kawhi Leonard delivered for the Clippers an epic two-way masterclass in the final minute of their win against the 76ers.
The Los Angeles Clippers, following a rough stretch that has them on the brink of falling out of the Western Conference top four, will take a win in any way they can. On Wednesday night, it was Kawhi Leonard who came up huge, making clutch play after clutch play to bounce back from a rough shooting night to lead the Clippers to victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, 108-107.
Leonard was shooting 5-17 from the field heading into the final minute of the contest, a rare off night from the Clippers star. He was making up for it with his rebounding and defense, but with their backs against the wall, the Klaw found his touch. He made two and-one layups on consecutive possessions to give the Clippers the lead, and then to top it all off, he came up huge defensively, swatting a go-ahead attempt from Kelly Oubre Jr. on the penultimate possession while protecting the rim on the final play.
In the end, Kawhi Leonard made history with his epic two-way masterclass in the final minute of the Clippers’ win. According to OptaSTATS, Leonard is the “only NBA player in the last 20 years to convert two old-fashioned 3-point plays and block a shot in the final minute of a game”.
The Clippers have been reeling over the past few weeks, and even Kawhi Leonard himself has seen an uncharacteristic drop-off in his play. But if there’s one thing fans can expect out of Leonard, it’s that he shows up when his team needs him the most, and that’s exactly what he did in lifting the Clippers across victory lane in what was a topsy-turvy contest against the 76ers.
Clippers stop the bleeding
The Clippers entered their Sunday/Monday back-to-back against the 76ers and Indiana Pacers with renewed hope after demolishing the Portland Trail Blazers on consecutive occasions. Alas, the Clippers fell flat in both games, suffering blowout defeats that has the entire team and its fanbase questioning their identity.
With the New Orleans Pelicans hot on the Clippers’ tails, their Wednesday night contest against the 76ers was a game they had to win. For most of the game, the 76ers were in control, having all the answers to every question the Clippers were asking of them. But in the end, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George came up huge.
Leonard’s heroics have already been highlighted, but George also played quite a crucial part in the Clippers’ important win. George held the offense together when Leonard was struggling, and then he also came up with the huge deflection off of Kelly Oubre Jr. to give them back the possession late in the game.
The Clippers were also lucky that Tyrese Maxey slipped on that one inbounds play, but they still had to capitalize on their windows of opportunity, and their stars finished the job.
The road ahead for Kawhi Leonard and company
The Clippers now have a one-game lead over the Pelicans for the fourth spot in the Western Conference following their win over the 76ers. Nonetheless, they cannot rest on their laurels. According to Tankathon, hey have the 11th most difficult schedule remaining, including games against the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns (two), Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Houston Rockets.
The comfort for them is that the Pelicans have an even more difficult schedule (eighth), so the Clippers should get a chance to gain more separation in the standings in the coming days.
About the Author
Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he’s a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.
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