Kawhi Leonard has proven this load management fiasco has a palpable purpose, as he took over during Thursday's 107-101 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, showcasing there's a method to the madness of sitting him out for part of back-to-backs, even after having more than a year to recover from a quad injury.

The Los Angeles Clippers star scored 18 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, mounting a two-man assault on the Blazers late in the game alongside Lou Williams, combining for the Clippers' last 15 points of regulation.

Leonard has already missed two of the team's first nine games with the infamous load management, but one can't argue with the results thus far. The Finals MVP played only 60 games last season after repeated rest from his former team, the Toronto Raptors, yet the 6-foot-7 two-way star looked much fresher than everyone else during a testy postseason, ultimately making key plays to win series, along with bringing the Raptors their first-ever title in 24 years.

Old school folks might hate load management, but in the eyes of many coaches and front offices, Leonard has become the poster boy when it comes to it — ironically by contradicting the very franchise that started it all, the San Antonio Spurs.

The Klaw just seems to preserve his juice for the fourth quarter in ways others haven't been able to, now leading the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring with 13.5 points per game in the final period.

Leonard is simply an elite bucket-getter, and when he has his legs underneath him, there's very little stopping his Jordan-esque ways from taking over a game. Thursday's two-pronged attack with Williams was an example of just that, as Leonard buried jumper after jumper to sink the Blazers and come back from an eight-point deficit early in the final period.

Furthermore, Leonard's 13 rebounds, four assists, and his key defensive plays down the stretch far overviewed his 9-of-23 shooting night, or his 0-for-5 performance from deep, or his six total turnovers in the game.

When the game is on the line, Leonard shows up — and that's a great weapon for any team to have come playoff time.