Kawhi Leonard’s recent dominance makes LA’s pace shocking
The Los Angeles Clippers they sit at 5-16, despite their season growing Kawhi Leonard delivering some of their best basketball players. The the team lost three straight gameswith losses to the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat revealing problems far deeper than one superstar can solve.
Through his the last three gamesLeonard averaged 35 points on 57 percent shooting. He dropped 39 against Memphis, 30 against Dallas and 36 against Miami. “He’s +15 in these games, but the Clippers lost them all,” Sports Illustrated’s Joey Linn pointed out the paradox.
Leonard led Memphis to 39 points on 15-of-24 shooting in just 29 minutes, but the Clippers got off to a good start and fell in the second half. Against Dallas the next night, his 30-point effort couldn’t top Cooper Flagg’s historic 35-point outburst.
The debacle in Miami proved demoralizing. Leonard scored 36 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 12. But the Heat had already buried LA with 140 points and a franchise-record 24 three-pointers. A brutal 30-2 second quarter run essentially ended the contest before halftime.
Defensive breakdowns became systematic. LA ranks 25th in defensive rating after finishing third last season. After the Lakers’ loss, Leonard called out the team’s inability to make opposing stars uncomfortable, pointing out that they need to make their better scorers pass like their opponents do.
James Harden’s minus-39 rating against Miami exemplifies the team’s struggles. Despite averaging 27.6 points this season, he played just 20 minutes before being benched for the final 22 minutes. His output did not translate into victories. Leonard summed up the mindset after the Dallas losschanneling his inner Jim Mora. The two-time champion emphasized that he is focusing on winning one game before thinking about the championship.
The Clippers’ 2-14 streak from a 3-2 start marks their worst 21-game stretch since 2010-11. Leonardo’s brilliance only magnifies how much everything else has fallen apart.
2025-12-02 16:49:00
