Kawhi Leonard and the No. 5 seed Los Angeles Clippers are tied 1-1 in their first-round playoff series with the No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets.
After splitting the first two games in Denver, the Clippers are heading home for the first-ever playoff game at Los Angeles’ Inuit Dome on Thursday night.
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The Clippers notched a closely-contested 105-102 win over the Nuggets in Game 2, in large part due to a masterful postseason performance from Leonard.
Leonard finished the game with 39 points, shooting 15-19 from the field (78.9%).
The six-time NBA All-Star is now the fourth player in NBA history to score 35+ points on at least 75% shooting from the field, joining Dirk Nowitzki, Devin Booker and Shaquille O’Neal.
“Game 2 vs. DEN (39 PTS, 78.9 FG%) marked the second time in the Klaw’s career he’s scored 35+ points on 75% shooting or better in the postseason! He joins: Dirk Nowitzki (3 times) Devin Booker (2 times) Shaquille O’Neal (2 times),” the NBA wrote in an announcement on X.
Leonard appeared in just 37 regular-season games for the Clippers in 2024-25 as he dealt with a knee injury. The 33-year-old veteran averaged 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game in Year 13.
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray battle for a loose ball.Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
“This is what Kawhi lives for. He’s healthy for the playoffs, and we know when we got a healthy Kawhi, we can win any series. And he just showed you tonight what he’s capable of doing,” Clippers head coach Ty Lue said after Leonard’s historic Game 2 performance.
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Game 3 will tipoff at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday.
