Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points to lead the LA Clippers to a 119-108 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday, tying Bob McAdoo’s franchise record with 44 consecutive 20-point games. “Amazing. Thank God for being able to play consistently this year and, you know, be able to be in the conversation of the greats that used to play this game,” Leonard said after the win.
Reflecting on his career journey, Leonard acknowledged the challenges of maintaining consistency. “It’s always great to just be on the floor and be able to play basketball. You know, it’s a lot of ups and downs you go through in the NBA. Either it’s bad games, missing shots, being sick or the team failing,” he explained.
Leonard emphasized the importance of taking each game as it comes. “Just take it in one game at a time. I’m happy that we was able to come in and get this win. This team over there is fast-paced offense, got a lot of young stars getting better. They’re playing great basketball,” he said.
The Clippers’ bench depth also received praise from Leonard. “They’re always great. If you got a good bench, it even helps the coaching staff be able to pull out some of the starters and count on the bench to get some stops or make threes,” he noted.
Leonard discussed Bennedict Mathurin’s growth, particularly on defense. “Since he’s been here, to me he’s been aggressive on the ball. One of his first games in Houston, he had some big steals late or just some aggressive defensive plays. It’s about consistency,” Leonard said.
Kris Dunn’s offensive contributions were highlighted as well. “He’s been playing that position his whole life, but him now able to get some possessions with us being down with DG out allows him to continue to get more dribbles up the court,” Leonard explained.
Despite lineup changes due to injuries, Leonard praised the team’s development. “These first men up, we love to play basketball. We take pride in our individual performance and whatever we got to do out there to win the game, we’re going to try to do,” he said.
Addressing the team’s pace, Leonard clarified his adaptability. “I’m not able to play any style of basketball, I believe. It’s about what the coaches want. If I’m not playing well, I try to get better at it. Whatever it takes to adjust and be the best player I could be and just help the team win,” he stated.
Looking at personal goals, Leonard set a challenge for himself in shooting more threes. “Even before our pace start going up, I took a challenge and tried to at least get to 12 threes. That’s tough, but it’s a challenge I’m trying to do, and hopefully that could turn over to me being better next year,” he added.
The Clippers, now 34-32, have won seven of their last eight games, with Leonard’s leadership and consistency at the core of their push toward a strong finish in the Western Conference play-in race.
