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Kawhi Leonard leads Clippers past Thunder in first game without Paul George

March 24, 2023

LOS ANGELES — The Clippers have been in this position before, as recently as last season when Paul George missed 32 games because of injury. So, there wasn’t any panic or hand-wringing Thursday night. Like before, the team was going to need contributions from several players.

It’s a message Coach Tyronn Lue sent to his team, starting with star Kawhi Leonard and down to seldom-used Bones Hyland.

“We’re definitely ready for the challenge,” Lue said. “We have a lot of guys in this locker room, and we’re excited for the challenge.”

The Clippers were not only prepared to move forward without George but did so convincingly with a 127-105 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the same team they lost to by one point on Tuesday when George went down after colliding with Luguentz Dort late in the game.

Perhaps some of the Clippers’ motivation stemmed from the news that George did not suffer ligament damage in his right knee and will not require surgery. He will be re-evaluated in 2-3 weeks.

He posted on Twitter, “Appreciate y’all.”

Until George returns, Lue said the Clippers (39-35) need Leonard specifically to step up in a big way, to be in an “attack mode” from the opening tip. And that started with Thursday’s rematch with the Thunder.

“We’ve been used to playing with one of those guys out, so we kind of know how to play,” Lue said. “It’s just a little different because now we have Russ, (Mason) Plumlee and now Eric Gordon. And so, for those guys to try to fit in and try to understand how we want to play it might be the thing that’s going to be the most difficult, but we’ll be fine.”

Leonard responded to the challenge and started strong, scoring 15 of his game-high 32 points in the first quarter while going 7 for 7 from the field. And the rest of the team followed, as Terance Mann and Hyland, seeing his first minutes in three weeks, picked up the pace.

Turnovers (10), poor defense and a lack of scoring by Leonard in the second quarter hurt any momentum the Clippers had garnered. Leonard failed to score in that stretch, allowing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to settle in. He had 19 of his team-high 30 points in the first half.

The Clippers, however, regained their focus, perhaps remembering Lue’s earlier words, and began playing with a renewed sense of purpose. They cut down on their turnovers, collecting just three in the second half, and began finding their touch from beyond the 3-point line.

Behind the shooting of Leonard, Russell Westbrook’s hard-charging drives and the support of Hyland and Mann in the second half, the Clippers broke open a tie game to avenge Tuesday’s loss.

The Clippers closed the third quarter with a 27-12 run, including 10 in a row, to lead 92-80 going into the fourth. They made seven consecutive 3-pointers over the end of the third and start of the fourth, with Nicolas Batum and Hyland hitting three each. Leonard had the other 3-pointer in pushing the Clippers’ lead to 101-85.

The Clippers kept it up, sinking another three 3-pointers in a row, capped by one from Westbrook that extended their lead to 114-89. They outscored the Thunder 35-25 in the fourth.

Leonard finished 13 for 15 from the field, grabbed six rebounds and doled out six assists. Westbrook added 24 points and seven assists, while Hyland hit four of the Clippers’ 18 3-pointers and finished with 16 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Mann had 14 points.

Lue said George was “a little disappointed” to not be playing, especially so close to the playoffs. The Clippers have eight regular-season games remaining.

“I think we got the best-case scenario as far as what we thought it could be,” Lue said. “So, being re-evaluated in two, three weeks is something that we are looking forward to. His spirits are down, but that’s to be expected when it’s late in the season and when you want to help your team. But we are going to support him a hundred percent.”

More to come on this story.

Orange County Register

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Kawhi Leonard leads Clippers past Thunder in first game without Paul George

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