Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard mercilessly placed Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward in the torture chamber during the start of the third quarter of their Saturday showdown.
Leonard showed his two-way force in the said play, stripping Hayward and going coast-to-coast with the easy one-handed spike.
Watch the highlight below:
Swipe and slam.@kawhileonard | 📺 @FoxSportsWest pic.twitter.com/RgzEVbzgup
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 21, 2021
Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers were certainly having their way against the Hornets at that point of the game. They raced out to a 37-point opening quarter and established a 22-point lead heading into the second half.
L.A. was such in cruise control that they did just whatever they wanted against Charlotte. That was in full display with this casual long-distance alley-oop connection between Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in the second quarter, which extended the Clippers' lead to 20 at that point.
PG connects with Kawhi from DISTANCE 😳 pic.twitter.com/SIuOCMN524
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 21, 2021
The Clippers are still in the mix for a top-four seed in the loaded Western Conference, but they have the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers right on their coat tails. Just like last season, L.A. has been inconsistent this season, and Leonard has voiced some displeasure with this development.
Sometimes, like Saturday night against the Hornets, the Clippers look like the most dominant team in the league with their elite two-way play. However, on other nights, they fall flat and lose to teams they should be handling with ease.
With Leonard and George leading the way, the Clippers are still among the favorites to win this year's NBA championship. However, they'll need to establish a real identity and play with much more consistency if they don't want a repeat of last year's playoff disappointment to happen again.
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