Kawhi Leonard didn't make much of his clutch defense against LeBron James during a primetime Western Conference battle between his Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Leonard was the primary defender on James during the fourth quarter and his stout defense was key in forcing late-game turnovers and closing the gap after the Lakers led by as much as 15 points in the third quarter.

The Clippers star, however, turned down the notion that his defense on James was the catalyst to pull off a 111-106 win on Christmas Day.

“It’s not about me guarding a player one-on-one. We’ve been losing a lot of games from team defense, not even one-on-one matchups,” said Leonard, according to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. “For me, it feels like we need more team defense other than you overemphasizing me guarding LeBron or their best player.”

James had gone from a bulldozing force of nature in the first quarter to a brick-launching jump-shooter in the next two quarters after re-aggravating a groin injury he suffered earlier this season. Yet he found his stroke in the fourth quarter, making key 3-pointers to help the Lakers keep the lead.

Leonard ultimately turned it up and forced James to become a playmaker, as his Clippers teammates closed out on outside shooters and rebounded misses, allowing Leonard to get looks on offense and put the game to bed with trips to the free-throw line.

Admit it or not, Leonard's defense had a huge effect in the Clippers coming back to win and now taking a 2-0 lead in their series against the Lakers, though others like Patrick Beverley and Paul George also made plays to clamp up on defense and take this game against their heated in-building rivals.