Clippers Bank on Kawhi Leonard’s Insane Shooting to Knot Series with Denver

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Clippers are now at an all-time high. With a locked-in Kawhi, forget the early goodbye.

Sigh. With that kind of extraordinary performance the millions of basketball fans witnessed from Kawhi Leonard, expect the Los Angeles Clippers to gain some oozing momentum in their grueling NBA Western Conference best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets.

On April 22, 2025, Leonard delivered a performance for the ages after steering Los Angeles to a Game 2 victory over the Nuggets, 105-102, that equalized their intense series duel at 1-1.

The superstar swingman went unconscious from the field and shot an efficient 15/19 that capped off his majestic outing with 39 big points including a perfect 5/5 from the free throw line and 4/7 from downtown.

What a masterclass that was.

After only dropping 22 points during their Game 1 loss, Leonard made sure that their road trip in Denver would go as planned. He already amassed 21 markers in the first half off a single miss out of 10 tries while stuffing the stat sheets with two rebounds, two assists, and a block.

From the get-go, the Clippers banked on Leonard’s hot hands who continuously torched Denver every time they made a huge scoring run.

The Nuggets looked invincible after head coach David Adelman instructed his wards to push the pace and attack the small-ball lineup of the Clippers, a strategy that paid off dividends when they racked up their biggest lead of the ball game at eight points in the second frame.

Just when Denver thought they could sustain their high-octane pace, Leonard played spoiler after hitting a series of ridiculous and tough shots that put Los Angeles back in the driver’s seat.

From an eight-point hole, the Clippers retook command at the end of the first half, led by Leonard who converted a late triple just before the second-quarter buzzer sounded.

After that sequence, neither team took full control of the tempo and featured a total of seven lead changes in the second half.

When the Clippers struck first, the Nuggets always had an answer, courtesy of Russell Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr. who made the big plays in the most crucial stretch of the fourth.

It all went down to the wire in the final three minutes of the ball game. Down three in the 2:10 mark, Jamal Murray sparked Denver’s hopes after hitting a clutch trey that tied things up at 100-all.

The Clippers nearly fumbled their possession on the other end when Leonard attempted a wild three, but thanks to Kris Dunn’s outstanding defense as he swiped the ball away from Porter Jr. who was looking to put his head down and orchestrate the fast break.

It was Norman Powell who restored order for the Clippers as the veteran shooting guard didn’t hesitate and uncorked a gutsy triple that gave Los Angeles the lead back, 103-100.

Needing a bucket to trim their deficit, the Nuggets went to Nikola Jokic who drew a foul off a rack attack attempt. He swished both of his free throws to put the pressure back on the Clippers, but the visiting squad knew whose time it was to razzle and dazzle in the final 56 seconds.

Off a timeout play, Clippers head coach Tyrone Lue designed a play to free up Leonard, which they did.

After four dribbles to the right, Leonard hit Aaron Gordon with a misdirection pound move to create separation.

When Gordon retreated on his back foot, Leonard rose for the pull-up, and cash, money. The Clippers extended their lead to three points, 105-102, off his cold-blooded perimeter jump shot.

Unfortunately for the Nuggets, they missed all of their opportunities, including a three-point attempt from Jokic that would’ve sent the game to another overtime period.

Aside from Leonard, the Clippers received a chunk of contribution from James Harden and Ivica Zubac who chipped in 18 and 16 markers, respectively. Powell, who hit the huge triple off their defensive stop, finished with 13 points, three assists, and three steals.

On the other hand, Jokic boosted the Nuggets with a dominant triple-double performance of 26 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals, but his all-around effort wasn’t enough to match Leonard’s high output.

Both teams will have two days of rest before Game 3 kicks off on April 25, 2025. Can the Clippers pick up where they left off and grab a 2-1 series lead or will the Nuggets stun them in their first playoff road game?