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 Leonard scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, rallying the
San Antonio Spurs to an 89-85 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers
on Monday night at the Staples Center.
The MVP of the 2014 NBA Finals has been slowed by conjunctivitis,
resulting in blurred vision in his right eye. But that didn't stop
Leonard from lifting the Spurs past the Clippers.
"The eye's an issue every night," said Leonard, who made 10 of 18
shots from the floor and also had three steals. "That's why I'm
playing now. I'm trying to get used to it and not even worry about
it anymore. In a couple of weeks or a couple months, it should pass
away."
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, "It's been tough on him. He hasn't
really had a preseason because of it, and he still can't see out of
one of his eyes very well. It's been a very strange infection. He's
slowly getting into shape and starting to get a rhythm, but he needs
a few more weeks before he's the guy we saw in the (NBA) finals."
Forward Tim Duncan finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds as the
Spurs (3-3) ended a two-game skid. Leonard and San Antonio's defense
were the difference.
"(Defense) is what carried us," Duncan said. "That's why we had a
chance to win the game because we definitely were sputtering on
offense, at best. We had to find a way to get it done. In that
respect, we stepped up and made some stops and made enough plays to
kind of get over the top.
"Kawhi was great tonight. He's struggled early on, kind of up and
down in his play, but tonight he was great all around. Very
confident in his shot, especially with us not playing well. We kind
of turned to him and he kind of recognized it was time for him to
step up and make some plays, and he did just that."
Forward Blake Griffin paced the Clippers (4-3), who lost for the
second time in three games, with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six
assists. Point guard Chris Paul just missed a triple-double with 12
points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Paul said the Clippers' failure to execute late in the game cost
them.
"They basically gave us a clinic down the stretch on how to close
out a game," said Paul, who had only two points in the fourth
quarter and blew a layup with 2.9 seconds left that would have tied
the score. "The tough part about it was our turnovers. That was very
uncharacteristic of us turning over the ball like we did, and they
converted."
Leonard's layup gave San Antonio its first lead at 83-82 with 1:44
left. After a Clippers turnover, forward Boris Diaw nailed a runner
for a three-point Spurs lead. Guard Manu Ginobili scored inside for
an 87-82 advantage with 32.8 seconds remaining.
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However, Ginobili fouled Jamal Crawford on a 3-point attempt and the
Clippers forward converted all three free throws with 25.8 seconds
left, pulling Los Angeles within 87-85.
After Ginobili missed two foul shots that would have clinched the
win with 11.3 seconds left, Paul missed a layup. Griffin got the
ball in a scramble under the basket and the Clippers called timeout
but had none left.
Spurs point guard Tony Parker, who scored 13 points but missed 10 of
his 13 fshots from the field, missed the technical foul free throw
with 1.4 seconds remaining, but Leonard hit two foul shots to cap
the scoring.
Paul's bucket in the lane boosted the Clippers to an 82-75 lead with
5:49 left in the game, but they failed to get another field goal.
Duncan scored twice and added two free throws with 2:13 left to cut
the deficit to 82-81 before Leonard put the Spurs up for good.
"Bad turnovers in a critical time," Griffin said of the Clippers,
who had 15 turnovers compared with eight for the Spurs. "We have got
to be better with the ball, but with all that, we still had a
chance."
Crawford's 3-pointer gave the Clippers a 40-31 lead with 3:44 left
in the second quarter. However, an 8-0 spurt by the Spurs after
Leonard converted a jump hook pulled San Antonio with one. A putback
by forward Glen Davis gave Los Angeles a 42-39 advantage at
intermission.
NOTES: San Antonio C Tiago Splitter, who didn't play, visited a Los
Angeles back specialist for a nerve problem on Monday. Spurs coach
Gregg Popovich said he expects Splitter to miss at least another
week. ... Clippers reserve C Spencer Hawes remains troubled by a
foot ailment. ... NBA commissioner Adam Silver attended the game.
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