Kawhi Leonard made some interesting comments after the Los Angeles Lakers blew out the Los Angeles Clippers 122-97 at the Intuit Dome on Tuesday night. Leonard claimed the Clippers’ second unit hasn’t played well since he returned when asked if his teammates are struggling because he’s being reintegrated.
“You’re not seeing the consistent minutes that you were seeing at the beginning of the year,” Leonard said. “Especially with me still being on minute restriction, it’s kind of hard for T-Lue to find those lineups that work. I feel like our second team has to get better. The start of that second quarter, it’s kind of been like that since I’ve been back.”
Kawhi Leonard said the Clippers’ second group has to get better:
“I feel like our second team has to get better. The start of that second quarter, it’s kinda been like that since I’ve been back.” pic.twitter.com/yS8D5sAUH5
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) February 5, 2025
The start of that second quarter certainly wasn’t ideal for the Clippers. The Lakers went on a 10-2 run to seize complete control of the contest, and there was really no way back for the hosts after that. Still, while the opening minutes of the second quarter weren’t great, the damage was done in the first itself.
The Lakers were up 45-29 at the end of the first quarter, and the starting five has to take some of the blame for that. The Clippers were down eight when Leonard was subbed out for the first time with just over two minutes remaining in the period and the bench was unable to stop the bleeding. So, there is plenty of blame to go around.
The Clippers bench would finish with 34 points in this contest, but that’s down to them getting some more time on the court, as this was a blowout. That second unit has averaged 24.5 points over the last 10 games, which ranks 29th in the league. That’s certainly not a recipe for success.
As for Leonard, finished with 11 points (4-11 FG), six rebounds, two assists, and three blocks against the Lakers. The six-time All-Star was unable to stamp his authority on the game, and as a result, the Clippers dropped to 28-22 on the season. This was their second straight defeat, and Leonard also stated postgame that everyone needs to start playing harder.
“We have to, like T-Lue said, look ourselves in the mirror first and be able to come out here and do our job,” Leonard stated. “That’s where it starts. Can’t look over the shoulder for help with those things. Playing hard, it comes within.”
It would certainly help the Clippers’ cause if the players put in some more effort. They have lost their way a bit in recent weeks, and head coach Tyronn Lue needs to steady the ship before it sinks.
Tyronn Lue Criticized Clippers Players After The Blowout Loss
While Leonard pointed to the second unit being an issue, Lue stated the starters need to start games better in his postgame press conference. He was quite critical of his whole team and understandably so.
“We’re just not getting off to good starts,” Lue said. “We’re not locking in defensively, like 45 points in the first quarter. That’s way too many and so we got to take pride in guarding. That’s who we’ve been all season long… We gotta be better. We gotta look ourselves in the mirror and think about, do we want to win or not. That’s gotta be our mentality.”
“Three games in a row we come out with not a great defensive performance,” Lue added. “And it’s just not putting enough into the game even on the offensive end not putting a lot into the game. When that happens, you get blown out like we did tonight.”
The Clippers are now 4-5 in their last nine games, and Lue is particularly unhappy with what he has seen from his team over the last three. With him going this hard on his players, you’d expect a response when they take on the Indiana Pacers at the Intuit Dome on Thursday at 10:30 PM ET.
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