Kawhi Leonard’s masterful Game 2 performance has the Denver Nuggets concerned, with center DeAndre Jordan acknowledging the difficult challenge of containing the two-time Finals MVP.
Kawhi Leonard powered the Los Angeles Clippers to a crucial 105-102 road victory, evening the first-round series at 1-1 with a spectacular 39-point performance on otherworldly 78.9% shooting efficiency.
Jordan, appearing on the Run It Back Podcast, expressed both admiration and concern about Leonard’s current form, comparing it to his championship runs with previous teams.
“I’ve seen Kawhi at San Antonio and in Toronto when he won in those places, and some people can’t do anything about injury, I think this year he looks amazing,” Jordan observed.
“It felt like he didn’t miss a shot the other night. He was extremely efficient, we got to give different looks and throw different things at him, but Kawhi’s a great player.”
The Nuggets veteran added a dose of realism about defending a locked-in Leonard: “You’ve got to live with some of the shots that he makes.”
Leonard’s Game 2 efficiency was truly remarkable–a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line while connecting on 5-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc.
Even in the Clippers’ Game 1 defeat, Leonard remained highly productive with 22 points on 60% shooting.
This level of performance is reminiscent of Leonard’s championship runs, where he earned Finals MVP honors with both the San Antonio Spurs (2014) and Toronto Raptors (2019).
Kawhi’s ability to elevate his game when the stakes are highest makes him particularly dangerous in playoff settings.
The Raptors championship in 2019 marked the franchise’s first title in team history–a blueprint the Clippers hope Leonard can replicate for their organization that has never reached even the conference finals.
With the series shifting to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4, the defending champion Nuggets face mounting pressure to develop an effective strategy against Leonard.
If they cannot contain his offensive brilliance, Denver’s hopes of advancing could slip away despite having the reigning regular season MVP in Nikola Jokic.
As Jordan candidly admitted, some of Kawhi‘s shotmaking simply cannot be stopped–leaving Denver in the uncomfortable position of needing to excel in other areas to overcome one of the league’s most feared playoff performers.
