NBA regular season, the Clippers defeated the Hawks 131-105. This was a rare easy game for the Clippers, as they were well-equipped on both offense and defense, completely suppressing their opponents to secure an easy victory. After the game, the Clippers faced two joys and one concern. Among them, Leonard's return had a huge impact on the team. Previously, the team was heavily focused on Harden, which made it difficult for the offense to get going. Now that Leonard has returned, there is an additional point of contention on the offensive end, allowing Zubac and Powell to get more open positions. As long as they are not heavily defended, they can freely play on the court. Moreover, Leonard is still a defensive powerhouse; even though his defensive statistics were not high in this game, he is capable of locking down an opponent single-handedly. Under this trend, both the offense and defense of the Clippers were mobilized, which is why the Clippers played so vigorously in this game. The depth of the Clippers' bench is also quite terrifying. The bench scored 68 points, setting a new season-high. Among them, Coffey, who has been performing well recently, scored 17 points in this game. Little Jones continued to play a dual-role on both offense and defense, with good shooting accuracy, scoring 12 points. Little Porter remained calm, with high efficiency, able to handle the ball and control the rhythm, scoring 15 points throughout the game. Additionally, Mann, after his return, also played a dual-role on both offense and defense, scoring 12 points throughout…

Kawhi Leonard's injury news has been back and forth, but it finally got confirmed today. He made his season debut, and as they say, actions speak louder than words. Indeed, that turned out to be the case when facing the Eastern Conference powerhouse, the Atlanta Hawks. The Clippers' confidence skyrocketed with Leonard's return, and the team's morale soared as they dominated the game. Ultimately, the Clippers secured a 131-105 victory at home, ending their two-game losing streak. We previously mentioned that Leonard's comeback would be a significant advantage for James Harden, allowing him to catch his breath. In recent times, Harden has almost been crushed by pressure. After all, he is 35 years old, not in his prime like he was at 28 during his Houston Rockets days. If it were his Rockets era, Leonard could miss the entire regular season, and Harden could still lead the team to a top-four record by himself. However, Harden's physical condition has indeed deteriorated significantly; he has succumbed to time. The most noticeable change with Leonard's return is that Harden can focus on organizing and setting up his teammates instead of having to do everything himself. However, there is one aspect that seems unreasonable. We initially thought Leonard would replace Dunn's role, but it turned out to be replacing Jones at the power forward position. Tyronn Lue must have had his reasons, but Leonard should ideally play the small forward position to reduce wear and tear. It's clear that Harden and Powell in the backcourt, Leonard at the three, and Jones and Zubac…

NBA regular season, the Clippers defeated the Hawks 131-105. This was a rare easy game for the Clippers, as they were well-equipped on both offense and defense, completely suppressing their opponents to secure an easy victory. After the game, the Clippers faced two joys and one concern. Among them, Leonard's return had a huge impact on the team. Previously, the team was overly focused on Harden, which made it difficult for them to initiate offensive plays. Now that Leonard has returned, there is an additional point of contention on the offensive end, allowing Zubac and Powell to get more open positions. As long as they are not heavily defended, they can freely perform on the court. Moreover, Leonard is still a defensive powerhouse; even though his defensive statistics in this game were not high, he is capable of locking down opposing players by himself. Under this trend, both the offense and defense of the Clippers have been driven, which is why they played so vigorously in this game. The depth of the Clippers' bench is also quite terrifying. The bench scored 68 points, setting a new season-high. Among them, Coffey, who has recently proven his worth, scored 17 points in this game. Little Jones continued to play a dual-role on both offense and defense, with good shooting accuracy, scoring 12 points. Porter has calmed down, with high efficiency, able to handle the ball and control the rhythm, earning 15 points throughout the game. Mann, after his return, also became an all-around presence on both offense and defense, scoring 12 points.…

Overnight! Lakers' James Celebrates Double Joy, Leonard Confirms Return, Butler Officially Suspended On January 4th, Beijing time, the latest round of NBA regular season games have all concluded. In addition to the thrilling matches on the court, several significant off-court developments have emerged overnight in the league, including double joy for the Lakers and James, Leonard's confirmed return, and Butler's official suspension. For the Lakers, they defeated the Hawks 119-102 under the leadership of James, successfully overtaking the Mavericks and Nuggets to rise to fourth in the Western Conference. In addition, the team's new backcourt duo, Reeves and Christie, have been performing exceptionally well in recent games. Notably, Christie has scored 16 points against the Warriors, 16 points against the Kings, 28 points against the Blazers, and 9 points against the Hawks in his last five games, except for a less-than-ideal performance of only 5 points against the Cavaliers. Christie has now become an important contributor to the Lakers' quest to return to championship contention. Regarding James, he scored an impressive 30 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists in the game against the Hawks, marking the 563rd time in his career that he has scored over 30 points, surpassing Jordan to become the undisputed historical first. With time, James is very likely to refresh this record to 600 games, making it one of the hardest records to break in NBA history. It can be said responsibly that James, both in terms of statistics and honors, has now surpassed Jordan to become the undisputed greatest player in history. As for Leonard,…

Title: Defeat! The Hawks' Five Tigers Score 77+23, Harden with 10+15, Leonard's Debut Surprise, Western Conference Landscape Changes Content: On January 5, 2025, Beijing time, the Clippers with a record of 19 wins and 15 losses faced the Hawks with 18 wins and 17 losses at home. The Clippers' top star, Leonard, made his season debut after returning from injury. How would he perform? The Hawks were playing back-to-back games, having lost to the Lakers the previous day and suffering their second consecutive defeat. They were eager for a strong comeback, but could they win against the Clippers with Leonard? The Clippers' starting lineup was Harden, Dunn, Powell, Leonard, and Zubac, while the Hawks were without Johnson, starting with Young, Daniels, Krajicek, Risa, and Capela. In the first quarter, Powell scored with a hook shot, Young made a layup, and Risa hit a three-pointer, giving the Hawks a 5-2 lead. Leonard responded with a three-pointer, and Daniels made a layup, leaving the Hawks ahead by 2 points. Zubac, Powell, and Dunn then took over, giving the Clippers a 3-point lead. Capela, Young, and Krajicek scored for the Hawks, but Jones, Powell, Batum, Harden, and Coffey went on a 16-0 run, extending the Clippers' lead to 15 points. Matthews and Young hit back-to-back threes, and Risa dunked, reducing the gap to 1 point. The first quarter ended with the Clippers leading 29-28. In the second quarter, Coffey and Powell scored 5 points in a row, extending the Clippers' lead to 6 points. Matthews and Rody closed the gap to 2 points,…

The Clippers have been eagerly awaiting Leonard's return since the start of the season, but it now appears that this superstar within the team has completely disappointed everyone. So far, Leonard has not made any moves to participate in the games, despite previously promoting his potential comeback multiple times. This operation has left fans utterly speechless, and the Clippers have now revealed a rather shocking message. They are fed up with Leonard and will take action against him. The Clippers are demanding that Leonard make a quick comeback for the game against the Hawks. They hope Leonard can participate, and the team's accompanying journalist has confirmed this, stating that the team will confirm the nature of Leonard's injury in the morning. It is clear that the Clippers are truly fed up with Leonard's behavior, which is why they have made such an arrangement. They want Leonard to provide a genuine explanation for his injury situation and stop using his injuries as an excuse not to play. It is evident that the Clippers also realize that renewing their contract with Leonard was a mistake, which is why they are taking a stricter stance towards this star player. Ballmer has also expressed a desire to terminate the contract with Leonard, as endlessly waiting for his return is clearly not a wise choice. The Clippers' hopes of relying on the aging Harden to lead the team to the championship are not very promising. The team built around Leonard with significant investment in the past now seems to have become a classic case of…

Leonard's injury news is full of twists and turns. First, Law Murray, the Clippers' reporter, reported that Leonard would not return against the Hawks at home, with the time being further postponed. However, just a few hours after this news came out, Chris Haynes and Shams suddenly reported that Leonard's status had been adjusted to "probable." Interestingly, the latest injury report from the Clippers also showed that Leonard's status had changed from "out" to "questionable." We don't know if Leonard will play or not, as Rivers said on the "Off Guard" program. He suggested that Leonard should stop creating confusion. Harden is tired; he is working hard now. If he wants to play, he should come back directly instead of making people guess repeatedly. Rivers even mocked, saying that Leonard gives people the impression that he has been injured 1500 times. If, hypothetically, Leonard returns in the next game, it would certainly be a help to Harden. We can't give a definitive answer now, for fear that Leonard might change his mind again. Let's assume Leonard returns; then Harden's pressure would be significantly reduced. This season, Harden averages 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. When Harden plays, the Clippers have a record of 19 wins and 13 losses. In the two games he missed, the Clippers lost both. The performances of Powell and Zubac without Harden have well demonstrated Harden's value. As Tyronn Lue analyzed today, if Harden doesn't make the All-Star team this season, he would be disappointed. Tyronn Lue believes that Harden is undoubtedly leading the team…

The first round of All-Star voting results are finally out. On the Eastern side, the top three frontcourt players are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Karl-Anthony Towns, while the top three backcourt players are LaMelo Ball, Donovan Mitchell, and Damian Lillard. In the West, the top three frontcourt players are Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Stephen Curry in the backcourt. Generally speaking, there are no surprises, as voting is primarily based on the season's performance. However, established superstars like LeBron, Durant, and Curry still have a strong fan base, ensuring their selection regardless of their current form, as long as they remain in the league. Among those who could potentially make their first All-Star appearance are Jaylen Williams, Alperen Sengun, Franz Wagner, Evan Mobley, Derrick White, Tyler Herro, and today's main character, Norman Powell. Currently, he has 110,222 votes, ranking him 10th among Western Conference guards. Objectively, such a vote count offers slim hopes in the competitive guard category, but it is undoubtedly significant for Powell. This is the first time in his 12-year career that he has reached an All-Star level, which is a massive recognition. Looking at his actual performance this season, he indeed deserves an All-Star selection, even outperforming many players ahead of him. At the start of the season, the Clippers were seen as a team outside the play-in tournament, but in the first five games, Powell averaged 25.4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, with shooting percentages of 49.5% and 41.3%. This performance was somewhat shocking, as…

On January 5th, Beijing time, the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Atlanta Hawks to end their two-game losing streak. This game marked the season debut of Kawhi Leonard, with the Clippers seeing a significant improvement on both offense and defense. Mann also returned, making the Clippers' frontcourt extremely strong as they dominated the Hawks throughout the game, with Leonard scoring 12 points in just 19 minutes. Kawhi Leonard has been nursing his knee since being injured in the 2023-2024 season playoffs. From April 27, 2024, to January 5, 2025, a total of 253 days have passed. Clippers fans had high expectations for this game, especially since the team is now at full strength with Harden and Leonard forming a formidable two-core lineup that is both offensive and defensive. In the opening quarter, Harden connected with Leonard for a three-pointer. Leonard played 7 minutes in the first quarter, shooting 1 for 3 and 1 for 1 from beyond the arc, scoring 3 points, grabbing 2 rebounds, and dishing out 1 assist. Leonard's defensive presence was also felt strongly, as the Hawks made many forced turnovers. In the second quarter, Leonard hit a three-pointer from the weak side and then another from the strong side. He also forced Trae Young into a turnover. Leonard played 7 minutes in the second quarter before being rested, with the Clippers leading the Hawks 72-47 at halftime. In the first half, Leonard played 16 minutes, shooting 3 for 8 and 3 for 3 from three-point range, scoring 9 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, and adding 1 assist…

Leonard, as a superstar in the league, has always been a controversial player because his playing time is too short. It's common to not see him play for an entire season, and this season, the Clippers have been struggling under Harden's leadership. But since Harden is also at the end of his career, it's clearly impossible for him to continue leading the team alone. Therefore, whether Leonard can return to share the pressure is something that fans are very concerned about. However, Leonard seems to be continuing to tease the Clippers. Previously, Leonard stated that he might return to play during the Christmas game, but as everyone saw, Leonard did not return to play. Originally, it was said that he would return for the New Year, but Leonard's return has been postponed again. This time, the Clippers revealed that Leonard's return time will be postponed. Now, not only can the fans not accept it, but even some NBA players can't stand it. In the program, Rivers talked about: "Still acting, you shot an advertisement, saying for the 15th time that you will return to the game. But brother, go play on the court, that's your job, you've been injured 1500 times. I'm not saying the injury is fake, but Leonard hasn't really played." It must be said that now everyone's attitude towards Leonard is basically quite disappointed. They simply cannot understand how, as the actual leader of the Clippers, Leonard hardly plays. This attitude and the continuous promise of returning, then continuing to敷衍, will make both fans and teammates of…