Kawhi Leonard is down. The Klaw was rendered immobile after taking a huge elbow to the face from his Los Angeles Clippers teammate Serge Ibaka. Leonard got gashed pretty badly by the errant elbow, leading to a particularly messy ordeal in Denver.
Here's the brutal scene that forced Kawhi to return to the locker room:
This had to hurt…
Kawhi Leonard takes a nasty elbow to the mouth from Clippers teammate Serge Ibaka. 😱pic.twitter.com/Did2RcMEox
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) December 26, 2020
Looks like Kawhi took an elbow from Ibaka https://t.co/Fdsiv7R6dz
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) December 26, 2020
Both Leonard and Ibaka appeared to be going for the same rebound on this play. The unfortunate friendly-fire was clearly accidental, but that still doesn't make it any easier for the 2-time Finals MVP.
The Clippers were in the driver's seat in a relatively lopsided rematch against the Denver Nuggets, who unceremoniously knocked them out of the NBA bubble playoffs.
Despite losing their biggest star, Los Angeles held on for a 121-108 victory over their Western Conference rivals. Leonard finished the game with a still-impressive 21 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. Paul George meanwhile flanked him with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5/9 shooting from downtown.
The Nuggets got solid performances from their own stars, with Nikola Jokic just a rebound shy of a triple double and Jamal Murray bouncing back from his awful first game performance with 23 points and 5 rebounds.
The Los Angeles Clippers are determined to avenge a disappointing season which left them far from their goal of an NBA title. After this Christmas win and their opening-night victory over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, their team may have exorcised their demons for now. But with a long season ahead, the Clippers still have a lot of work to do.
Hopefully, Kawhi Leonard can make a full recovery as they march towards their quest for a championship.
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