Clippers star James Harden handles the ball because the Atlanta Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher defends in the course of the second half on Saturday night time on the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. (Picture by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG)
INGLEWOOD — He hit a 3-pointer from the left wing on his first shot. He then discovered Norman Powell within the nook for his first help and adopted with a miss from 6 ft.
And with that, Kawhi Leonard’s comeback was formally rolling.
Leonard made his season debut Saturday night time in a 131-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks after lacking the workforce’s first 34 video games. And whereas it wasn’t good, it was each a begin and an finish to a protracted highway again from troubling knee points.
Leonard, who was greeted by the near-sellout Intuit Dome crowd with a loud ovation, completed his first recreation in 10 months with 12 factors on 4-of-11 capturing, three rebounds and one help in 19 minutes.
Leonard had mentioned his plan was to be prepared for the season opener, however the irritation in his proper knee by no means really ceased after flaring up on March 31 towards the Charlotte Hornets. He sat out the ultimate eight regular-season video games final spring and appeared in solely two video games within the Clippers’ 4-2 first-round playoff loss towards the Dallas Mavericks.
Leonard’s knee issues stored him off the Olympic workforce and compelled him to take a seat on the bench in road garments for the primary two-plus months of this season. Leonard, who has missed 290 regular-season video games during the last eight years, together with all the 2021-22 season, appeared relieved to lastly transfer from the coaching room to the courtroom once more after this newest frustration.
“(There) was nothing exhausting about enjoying tonight. We did the precise steps to get me so far, and enjoying basketball was the straightforward a part of it,” Leonard mentioned. “That is what I like to do. The exhausting half just isn’t enjoying and having to rehab and never competing with my teammates.”
Leonard’s 19 minutes had been by design, and he’ll proceed to be on a minutes restriction for the foreseeable future, which is simply positive with the two-time NBA Finals MVP, who has had two surgical procedures and one other process on his proper knee.
“We’re nonetheless easing me into the sport,” Leonard mentioned. “We aren’t on nobody’s timeframe. We all know what’s forward of us and we’ve to maintain constructing in the precise path. So, we face it (comeback) prefer it was a preseason recreation tonight and we’ll hold transferring the identical approach till I’m in a position to construct up my minutes.”
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue and the remainder of the workforce had been understandably excited to see the two-time NBA champion again on the ground whether or not it was for 9 minutes or 19. Leonard provides the Clippers one other scoring menace, somebody who opposing groups want to protect, leaving others open to attain.
“Along with his presence on the ground, it makes it rather a lot simpler for everyone else, so it was good to have him,” Lue mentioned. “Now he’s acquired to proceed to maintain constructing off of it.
“We’re treating this as a preseason for him till he will get his legs up underneath him; be sure that he comes out of the sport tonight feeling good. And our aim is simply to maintain progressing each recreation and so tonight was a superb begin.”
Lue began Leonard rather than Derrick Jones Jr., retaining Kris Dunn within the beginning lineup. Jones got here off the bench and scored 12 factors.
“That was wonderful simply to be on the market (with him),” Jones mentioned. “I’m simply glad he acquired his first shot to go down. Whenever you come again from an damage or a protracted layoff, it at all times boosts you up slightly bit. However as soon as he acquired that, he began rolling, so he’s good.”
The remainder of the workforce performed nicely, too.
Norman Powell acquired again on observe after a 1-for-11 efficiency within the earlier recreation and scored a team-high 20 factors and had 4 rebounds. Ivica Zubac added 18 factors and 18 rebounds, whereas James Harden had 10 factors and 15 assists. Amir Coffey added 17 factors.
Terance Mann scored 12 factors and had three rebounds in his first recreation in a month. He fractured the center finger on his left hand in a Dec. 4 recreation towards Portland.
The Clippers outshot the Hawks, 55.2% to 43.2%, and went 13 for 36 from 3-point vary (36.1%).
Three-time All-Star Trae Younger led the Hawks with 20 factors and 14 assists
“He attracts a lot consideration – double-teams and issues like that – so I’m in a position to lastly get some catch-and-shoot 3s, enjoying off rotations, with the ability to observe the basket,” Powell mentioned. “So, it’s rather a lot simpler than simply defensively the place we’ve been enjoying.
“I feel it suits him completely and it makes it exhausting for groups. You bought so many guys that may swap and guard and defend one-on-one and now you bought the assistance aspect. So, I’m actually excited. The primary recreation look actually good, so we simply proceed to construct on that.”
Whether or not it was Leonard’s presence, or the “nice vibe” Mann talked about within the locker room earlier than the sport, the Clippers (20-15) got here out impressed towards the Hawks (18-18). After back-to-back lopsided losses, the Clippers opened a 29-14 lead earlier than Atlanta closed the primary quarter on a 14-0 run.
The Clippers, trying to keep away from the form of meltdowns they skilled in losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, went on a 34-11 run to blow the sport open with a 63-39 lead with 3:22 left within the first half. They led 74-54 at halftime.
Harden had 13 assists within the first half for the third time in his profession. His career-high for any half is 14.
The Clippers stored the strain on Atlanta within the second half. With 4 starters on the bench, they managed to take care of a 20-plus-point lead within the fourth quarter.
