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Kawhi Leonard has long been one of the greatest playoff risers in the history of the NBA. Leonard seems to always flip a switch when the postseason begins, although over the past half-decade or so, injuries have limited his postseason impact significantly, dashing the Los Angeles Clippers' championship hopes over and over again. But on Monday night, in Game 2 of the Clippers' first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, Leonard popped off for 39 points on insane efficiency, leading them to a 105-102 win to even up the series.
Leonard made 15 of his 19 field-goal attempts, proving himself to be a bucket-making machine when he has it going like he did on Monday night. And in so doing, the Clippers star made bonkers playoff history that has him in quite the exclusive club.
According to the NBA.com/Stats page on X, formerly Twitter, the 33-year-old star became just the fourth player in NBA history to have multiple playoff games with at least 35 points on 75 percent shooting or better, joining Dirk Nowitzki (3x), Devin Booker (2x), and Shaquille O'Neal (2x) as the only players to do so.
Leonard first accomplished this sort of game in Game 3 of the Clippers' first-round matchup against the Dallas Mavericks in 2021. During that game, the Clippers trailed by double digits in the first quarter and looked to be in grave danger of going down 3-0 in the series before Leonard rallied his team into an eventual double-digit victory.
This wasn't the only feat Leonard accomplished on Monday, however; he also became just the fifth player in NBA history to put up at least 39 points in a single playoff game on 78.9 percent shooting from the field or better, joining Nowitzki, Booker, Elton Brand, and Terry Porter in that exclusive club.
And to top it all off, according to Keerthika Uthayakumar of TSN, Leonard posted the seventh-best true shooting percentage in a 35-point game in NBA playoff history (92.0 percent TS).
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The Clippers can only go as far as Leonard takes them, and with this healthy version of Leonard leading the way, no one should discount the possibility of them getting very far in the playoffs.
Kawhi Leonard is all the way back for the Clippers
Kawhi Leonard's playoff runs in 2021, 2023, and 2024 were cut short by injuries he sustained in the middle of the series. In 2021, he tore his ACL in the second round. In 2023, he tore his meniscus after two brilliant outings against the Phoenix Suns in the first round. And then in 2024, it was clear that Leonard should not have returned for a brief two-game cameo, as it was evident that he was still hampered by a knee injury that sidelined him towards the end of the regular season.
But now, Leonard appears to be back to being at his healthiest in a Clippers uniform, and he's back to scorching the nets under the grand playoff stage. And the Nuggets must be very afraid.
