Despite being in the twilight years of his NBA career, Kawhi Leonard is still proving to be one of the league’s deadliest scorers in the clutch, ushering the Los Angeles Clippers to a slim 114–113 victory against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
With exactly three seconds left on the clock, The Klaw turned to his patented fadeaway jumper from the side of the free throw line to seal the victory and lead the Clippers to their fourth victory in a row.
“Just having a mindset that the ball is gonna go in every time I shoot it, and just pushing through adversity, that’s it. A lot of hard work, and obviously I got God on my side,” Leonard said postgame.
Darius Garland and Kawhi Leonard Lead Clippers in 24-Point Comeback
Despite finding themselves in a massive 24-point hole early in the second quarter, the Clippers were eventually able to storm back into the match, with Leonard and newly acquired Clipper Darius Garland spearheading the LA offense.
The duo combined for 58 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists, as the Clippers improved to a 38–36 record to hold a firmer grasp of the 8th seed in the Western Conference.
However, the standings will only get tighter from here, as the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors lie just two games behind LA as the season nears its conclusion in a few weeks.
Pacers Had a Chance to Win at the Line
The Pacers actually had multiple chances to win the game, which started with Clipper Bennedict Mathurin missing both free throws to leave the door open for an Indiana game-winner.
With one tenth of a second left, Pacer Jay Huff had a chance to win the game after being fouled on the inbound attempt. However, with all the pressure at the line, the Indiana big man missed both free throws, sealing the win for the Clippers.
Aaron Nesmith paced the team in the loss with 26 points, while Obi Toppin dialed 20 markers off the bench.
The Clippers will look to forge five wins in a row when they face the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, while the Pacers will try to break their two-game slump on the same day against the Miami Heat.
