In keeping with what has been standard procedure since Kawhi Leonard returned, the Clippers did not play their All-Star forward in the fourth quarter against the Lakers on Sunday night.
Even as the Clippers’ 26-point lead in the third quarter was cut to 15 at the end of the quarter and to 11 at the start of the fourth, Leonard was on the bench.
But for the 24 minutes and 17 seconds Leonard played – the most he has played this season – he was the sharpest he has played in his five games this season.
He was efficient in scoring his 19 points, going nine for 13 from the field.
Read more: Clippers show Lakers everything they are not in first Intuit Dome rivalry game
“I’m happy with the progress,” Leonard said after the Clippers’ 116-102 win at the Intuit Dome. “For me it’s just about how I feel and I come out of the games feeling great. But I still have work to do and we will continue to take every step.”
Leonard missed the first 34 games of the season due to right knee inflammation. Sunday night gave him another chance to build.
When Leonard turned Gabe Vincent toward the baseline and scored on a layup in the second quarter, it was another sign he was taking a step in the right direction.
“Like I said, I liked Kawhi’s pace and getting to spots,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “We just have to keep building and keep stacking days.”
Lue said Leonard will not play Monday night against the Chicago Bulls. Leonard also did not play in Portland on Thursday after the Clippers played the day before.
The Clippers have four more games this week, including a back-to-back set against Boston on Wednesday and Washington on Thursday, which likely means Leonard won’t play in any of those games. The Clippers end their five-game homestand against Milwaukee on Saturday.
They will play an extra game this week after the NBA changed its schedule following postponements due to wildfires in the LA area.
“We’re going to keep going day by day,” said Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who fell one rebound short of another 20-20 game with 21 points and 19 rebounds. “You try to win one match at a time. We were focused on tonight. We didn’t look ahead. So tomorrow is a new day, forget everything that happened tonight and try to go get a new one. Then take our rest, recover on the day off and get ready again. There’s nothing you can do. There is nothing you can change.”
Despite his injury-marred career, Leonard passed the 14,000-point mark on Sunday. He is hopeful he can achieve even more as he continues his comeback from injury.
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“I’m glad I was able to play enough to get to that point,” said Leonard, who has 14,005 career points. “But for me I don’t see that as a milestone. I’m more of a team guy and I want to get the win, get going, be the last team standing and that’s what I played for. But thank God I get that opportunity, and most people don’t. So I would like to take every opportunity and every blessing and not take it for granted.”
As the Clippers rolled over the Lakers, James Harden reached yet another milestone. He climbed to 14th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 26,721 points, passing Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.
Harden had 21 points and 12 assists against the Lakers.
Read more: LeBron says Lakers have to play almost perfect to win: ‘That’s how our team is built’
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.