On January 5th, Beijing time, a regular NBA game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Atlanta Hawks at the Clippers' home court attracted widespread attention from fans. This was because after 253 days, Leonard finally made his comeback.
This was also the first time that Leonard played for the team in the Clippers' new arena. Before the game, Tyronn Lue stated in an interview that Leonard would still have certain restrictions on playing time.
How is Leonard's condition? Can he maintain the top level of the league as before the injury?
After the opening, the Clippers' second score came from Leonard. Harden suddenly passed the ball to the opposite side of the arc during his run, Leonard pressed the defense and decisively jumped to shoot, scoring a three-pointer.
Throughout the first quarter, Leonard played for 7 minutes and 18 seconds, shooting 3 out of 1 for 3 points, with 2 rebounds and 1 assist. In the second quarter, Leonard remained energetic, continuously jumping and madly grabbing, with a voracious appetite.
Halfway through the quarter, Harden continued to deliver a wonderful pass during the counterattack, Leonard caught the ball and shot, replicating the goal from the first quarter. After scoring, Leonard continuously instructed his teammates on defense while returning to defend, showing great confidence.
In addition to the offensive end, Leonard immediately returned to the top level on the defensive end, stealing the ball twice in just 2 seconds, and what was even more amazing was that he didn't even touch the defender.
When he received Zubac's transfer pass and hit another three-pointer from the top of the arc, Leonard went off the court to rest, and the audience erupted into stormy applause and cheers.
At halftime, the Clippers had expanded their lead to 20 points, with Leonard scoring 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist in 8 shots, full of energy. At the beginning of the second half, Leonard shot again from outside the line, drawing a foul, but only made 1 out of 3 free throws.
When the Hawks kept chasing points, Leonard received Harden's pass, circled around the post to inside the three-point line, and scored with a floater. Leonard rested halfway through this quarter.
Mann, who has been absent for a long time, performed at a core level. At the end of the third quarter, the Clippers led 98-76, and Leonard and Harden were no longer needed to play in the fourth quarter.
In the end, the Clippers easily defeated the Hawks. Leonard played 19 minutes and 25 seconds in his comeback night, shooting 4 out of 11, including 3 out of 5 three-pointers and 1 out of 3 free throws, scoring 12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, with a plus-minus value as high as +22.