Kawhi Leonard scores 39 points as Clippers tie series with Nuggets - ESPN

DENVER — Last year at this time Kawhi Leonard was hobbled. It was painful to watch him try to play through the inflammation in his right knee in before the LA Clippers finally shut him down before Game 4 of their first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

It took months for Leonard to recover from his injuries. So long that the Clippers had to move on and figure out how to play without him for the first part of the season and reporters basically stopped asking coach Tyronn Lue for updates.

But behind the scenes, Leonard was working to get back to a physical form so that he might one day have a night like he did Monday night in the Clippers' 105-102 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series at Ball Arena.

«I'm just happy that I'm able to move,» Leonard said after scoring 39 points on an efficient 15-for-19 from the field. «That's what I'm taking pride in is just being healthy. I sat and watched these playoff games and series the past two years. So being able to be frontline out there, it just feels good for me no matter which way the game goes.»

Leonard missed 23 days with inflammation in his right knee trying to get himself ready for the playoffs last season, only to have it not respond well and finally be ruled out for the series. At the time, it felt like the closing of the championship window that had formed when he joined forces with Paul George in 2019 and then added James Harden in a midseason trade. George left as a free agent last summer while Leonard and Harden re-signed with team-friendly contracts.

Leonard was able to play in just 37 games this season, trying to get his knee in good enough shape to help the Clippers in the playoffs. So far, it's