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Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers coughed up another very winnable game against their crosstown rival Los Angeles Lakers, and it came with a stunning move by head coach Tyronn Lue late in the game.
With 2:47 remaining in a game and the Clippers trailing 98-95, Tyronn Lue pulled Kawhi Leonard from the contest. Fans and media members on both sides were genuinely confused as to why he would do that.
Was Leonard injured? Was he dealing with a minutes restriction on the first half of a back-to-back set?
Leonard returned to the game with 17 seconds left with the Clippers down two and needing to foul. He played 34 minutes and 42 seconds of rough basketball, finishing with just 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting with three turnovers.
Ivica Zubac scored 22 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in the game. Paul George added 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists. James Harden struggled with his shot, finishing with 15 points (4-of-13 shooting), four rebounds, and nine assists.
Tyronn Lue on benching Kawhi Leonard
“He was close to his minutes restriction, and we got a back-to-back tomorrow,” head coach Tyronn Lue said after the game. We got five games in eight days, so just me, my thought was, we need him in the game because the game kind of got away from us a little bit.
“So when PG came out, bringing Kawhi back in a little earlier than we normally do, and he had to play his extended minutes early in the quarter instead of late in the quarter.
“So that's on me as a decision that I made to get him in early to come back. We were down eight, and he did a good job, being on the floor, bringing us back, and it was my decision. Like I said, he was close to his minutes, and we got a back-to-back tomorrow and so just got to be smart about it, especially with him coming back from injury.”
The Clippers struggled all night offensively, shooting just 39.6 percent. It was tied for the worst mark they've shot from the field this season and the worst mark since making the starting lineup change back in mid-November. Kawhi's third-worst shooting game of the season capped off an ugly night offensively for the Clippers, who looked like they had no rhythm whatsoever.
Kawhi reacts to sitting late in Clippers' loss to Lakers
Kawhi Leonard said he understood the thought process of resting him despite the close nature of the game.
“He was trying to hit a certain minute mark, and you know, that's what happened,” Leonard told ClutchPoints. “I mean, I would love to be on the floor and play, but I mean, it is what it is. We got more games to play. You know, that's how it rolled out tonight.”
Tyronn Lue confirmed after the game that Kawhi Leonard being pulled early means he would be playing in Monday night's second night of their back-to-back against the Phoenix Suns.
Kevin Durant, who returned to the Suns' lineup from a three-game absence on Sunday night against the Memphis Grizzlies and played 37 minutes, will likely be listed as questionable to play the second night of a back-to-back set.
