Kawhi Leonard has become nervous about the minute limit
The Los Angeles Clippers successfully defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 112-104 on Thursday at the Intuit Dome. before the game Kawhi Leonard was questionable but eventually played. Even so, he was on the minutes limit and watched from the bench as his team nearly blew a 25-point lead, leading him to get annoyedaccording to Oh No, it’s not.
Coffee about the minute limit:
“I knew I had about 3 minutes left. The whole time I’m like when are you going to put me back in the game?” 😂 pic.twitter.com/RVCnkvhBBk
— Oh no, it’s not (@ohnohedidnt24) January 23, 2026
With three minutes left in the game, Leonard asked when he would re-enter the game. Leonard was nursing a knee injury. Before returning to the game, he played 22 minutes, which was less than the other starters. Leonard re-entered the game and helped the Clippers prevent a Lakers comeback.
Leonard finished with 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range in 25 total minutes. In addition, he had five rebounds and four assists. It was his first game after that Leonard missed several games due to injury. In his last game, which was against the Washington Wizards, he had 33 points on 9-of-22 shooting.
Leonard was a big reason why the Clippers took a huge 25-point lead in the third quarter. But the Lakers fought back, cutting the deficit to five points with 5:34 left in the game. In the end, the Clippers buckled down and prevented the Lakers from maintaining the momentum and ultimately winning this game.
The The Clippers have been playing well lately and are 8-2 in their last 10 games. The win against the Lakers moved them to 20-24 and officially put them in 10th place in the Western Conference, which qualifies them for a playoff spot. Leonard will have a few days to rest his knee before the Clippers host the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
2026-01-23 14:59:00
