Russell Westbrook and the LA Clippers sorely missed Kawhi Leonard in Game 3 of the first-round playoff contest against the Phoenix Suns. And he let the NBA world know the importance of having Leonard in their ranks.
“I just feel sorry for him,” Westbrook said when asked about Leonard’s absence. “Probably was playing his best basketball in a while. The best in the world, honestly.”
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The forward was ruled out of LA’s home game after he reportedly suffered a knee sprain in Game 1, but gutted through it to play the second game. His condition worsened soon after and the team doctors decided it was best to rest him for the game.
Leonard was in absolutely scintillating form in the playoffs averaging 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. He played 52 games in the regular season averaging 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
His change in form began with a 44-point performance against the Sacramento Kings in February, and he was unstoppable after, propping up solid numbers to help the Clippers cement a playoff berth.
At the time of writing, he is considered day-to-day, and the Clippers will be hoping that their star will be able to take the court, especially in the absence of Paul George.
On the game front, the Clippers went down 129-124 despite Norman Powell’s 42-point explosion and Westbrook’s gritty 30 points. Devin Booker (45 points) and Kevin Durant (28) combined for another offensive onslaught to get the better of LA.
Kawhi Leonard Missing Out The Rest Of The Series Spells Doom For The LA Clippers
The LA Clippers will be severely short-handed without the services of their two big superstars, George and Leonard. Despite Westbrook doing the best he can on both ends of the floor, the efforts might not be enough for the team to fend off the Suns’ challenge.
Per ESPN, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue called the loss “deflating”. He further added: “I think more so for Kawhi, because you have a guy who’s coming off ACL, hasn’t missed a rehab session, eats right, eats clean, does everything he can for his body, works extremely hard to get to this point. Then you have something like this happen.”
The Clippers and Leonard will be hoping that he would play the next game to help the side equalize the 2-0 lead Phoenix has. Safe to say, they will inch a little closer to elimination with another loss.
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