Tyronn Lue

The Clippers finished eighth in the West to enter the Play-In tournament, only to fall short of the postseason with consecutive defeats.

After losing 109-104 to the Minnesota Timberwolves with Paul George in the lineup, the seven-time All-Star was in health and safety protocols for Friday's make-or-break 105-101 defeat at home to the New Orleans Pelicans.

George's absence was a cruel blow for the Clippers, not that playing without him is a new experience.

Injury limited George to 31 games this year – in which he averaged a team-leading 24.3 points – but that was 31 more games than the team got out of two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who is still recovering from a partial ACL tear in last season's playoff run.

Even Norman Powell, signed in February, suffered a setback and could play only limited minutes in a bench role after returning ahead of the play-in games.

Since the Clippers signed George and Leonard ahead of the 2019-20 season, they have played together in only 104 games across the regular season and playoffs.

The Clippers have a 72-32 (.692) record in those games, versus 83-71 (.539) in the 154 when one of their superstars is missing.

For that reason, Lue can retain some optimism as they hope to have Leonard back for 2022-23.

"We get our main guys back, we can be dangerous," he said after the Pelicans game. "Health is part of it. We've got to stay healthy, continue to work.

"When you get Kawhi back, a top-five player, PG, a perennial All-Star, your team changes tremendously.

"Guys who have taken on bigger roles this year, who have never been in this position before, they can kind of fall back into their original roles.

"We could be very different with those two guys back and healthy. We can be special."

The Pelicans have themselves missed a big name this year, with former first overall pick Zion Williamson joining Leonard in sitting out the entire season to date.

In his stead, C.J. McCollum and, particularly in the play-in tournament, Brandon Ingram have stepped up to lead the Pelicans into a first-round series against title favourites the Phoenix Suns.

Ingram has averaged 18.5 points per game for his career and 22.7 in the regular season this year but 28.5 across play-in wins over the San Antonio Spurs and the Clippers.

His 30 led the team on Friday, prompting high praise from coach Willie Green.

"Brandon Ingram is the truth," Green said. "He just brought it. He had that look in his eye from the time we got on the plane. Shootaround, he's been locked in. He has been waiting for this moment, for this type of moment."

The Clippers overcame the Sacramento Kings 119-99 on Tuesday to make it five straight wins.

Lue's team have now won 10 of their last 13 games, since a six-game losing streak following James Harden's arrival in a big trade from the Philadelphia 76ers.

And Lue feels his team are starting to show just how much quality they have.

"The biggest thing for me is [the players are] just staying with it," Lue said.

"I think early on it was tough for us just trying to figure out how we wanted to play, trying to figure out rotations and all the different things and how James, Paul George, Kawhi [Leonard] and Russell [Westbrook] all play together.

"We still got a long way to go, but we're trending in the right direction. We're doing a lot of good things and we still just got to stay with it and continue to put in the work.

"It's just chemistry, playing together, getting clarity, knowing what to expect coming into games. I think that's what the biggest thing is.

"I know we had a rough start, but we’re just staying the course. I give our players credit just for every single day coming in, every shoot around, every practice, working to get better and trying to understand and find out how they can make each other better."

The Clippers did lose George to groin soreness, though they have Leonard in excellent form, as he took his points total over the last three games to 106.

"It's just chemistry, playing together, getting clarity, knowing what to expect coming into games," said Leonard.

"I think that's what the biggest thing is."

George fuelled the Clippers' season-opening win over city rivals the Lakers, posting a game-high 33 points in the 116-109 victory on Tuesday.

After a forgettable playoff campaign in 2019-20, George provided a reminder of his All-Star quality as he scored 26 points in the second half.

George's haul is the second-most by any player in a season opener against the defending champions in the last 30 years, according to Stats Perform.

The six-time All-Star only trails LeBron James – who scored 37 points against defending champions the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 season opener.

"We just told him to be aggressive and he was unstoppable," Lue, who replaced Doc Rivers in the offseason, told reporters following his first competitive victory in charge of the Clippers.

The Lakers unveiled their championship rings pre-game, but Lue said: "Our focus was on us. The Lakers, they deserved that ring. They had a great year, and you can't take nothing away from them.

"Our focus wasn't really on the Lakers. They were the best team last year, so congratulations to them again, but now we're moving on."

Kawhi Leonard put up 26 points for the Clippers, who raced out of the blocks and led by as many as 22 points against the Lakers.

But it was the George show behind closed doors in Los Angeles amid the coronavirus pandemic after he was 13-of-18 from the field and five-of-eight from three-point range in 36 minutes.

George also finished with six rebounds, three assists and a steal as the Clippers earned early bragging rights against their neighbours.

Tuesday's result marked the second successive season the Clippers have beaten the Lakers in their season opener.

The Clippers are the first team to beat the Lakers in back-to-back season openers since the San Antonio Spurs did so in three straight campaigns from 1988 to 1990, per Stats Perform.

"I had a heck of an offseason coming into this year where I was able to train and get back on the floor and play basketball coming into the season," George told TNT.

"I'm just in a good headspace. I'm in a good physical space, and I put a lot of work coming into this year."

Last season, the Clippers sensationally surrendered a 3-1 series lead against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semi-finals, but Leonard added: "We're not thinking about last year.

"It's a different team. I'm just happy that we kept playing basketball the right way. Even if we lost the lead, we turned around and kept playing our basketball. We ran our offense, and that's what we take pride in tonight. Everybody had each other's back and was staying positive."

Leonard stepped up with 34 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to drag the Clippers to a 108-100 triumph in Sunday's contest.

He became the fifth player in the franchise's history to register those numbers and the first since Ron Harper against the Golden State Warriors in March 1994.

The Clippers have now won seven straight games and hold the joint-best record in the NBA at 13-4.

With Paul George sitting out the closing minutes due to hamstring tightness, head coach Lue praised Leonard for stepping up.

"He's been phenomenal for us, tonight we had to ride him," he said.

"Kawhi had it going so we played through him a lot, especially in the second half. He created points for himself and for the team as well.

"We had to ride him pretty hard just so we could continue to keep the lead and play through him a lot, I think he did a good job with that."

George had 11 points from 33 minutes and Lue explained why he was not involved in the final stages.

"I benched him…I benched him!" Lue joked, before adding: "No, I'm just joking. He had some tightness going into the game tonight.

"He got loose when he played but had tightness, that last four and a half minutes he tightened up again so it was just a precaution. Just his hamstring."

The Clippers are flying in the NBA and Leonard offered his thoughts on why the team are firing.

"I think our three-point percentage, not allowing threes, making sure the other team isn't getting good looks from three-point line is helping us," he said.

"We're playing team basketball, sharing the ball, staying level-headed, staying positive, making shots right now. We're trying to get better."

Lue was shown on video claiming the officials were "cheating" in a game the Clippers won 130-125.

The Clippers coach was ejected during the fourth quarter, though LA still came back to win.

Lue was then videoed shouting to his players and staff: "Where the refs at now? Cheating. That's all they be doing."

On Friday, the NBA fined Lue for "public criticism of the officiating and for questioning the integrity of game officials."

Leonard returned after 12 games out with stiffness in his surgically-repaired right knee as the Clippers beat the Detroit Pistons 96-91 on Thursday, scoring six points on two-of-eight field shooting with five rebounds and four assists.

The two-time NBA Finals MVP missed all of last season after rupturing his ACL in the 2021 playoffs, when the Clippers reached the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history.

Leonard started and played 25 minutes against the Pistons, having only managed 21 minutes in both of his two games off the bench earlier this season before his 12-game absence.

"He looked pretty good as far as his movement," Lue told reporters, with the win improving the Clippers to 9-7. "His impact defensively is huge for us.

"With him on the floor, we're a different team. It gives us a sense of calmness when he has the ball in his hand."

Leonard's availability going forward will be determined day to day by how he is feeling, but the small forward was content to be back for now.

"It was good to be back," he said. "I felt good.

"It's going to be a long journey. ACL recovery isn't just one year. It's a two-year process."

Reggie Jackson, who top scored for the Clippers with 23 points, said Leonard's presence was a major boost for the side.

"It is going to take a second to figure it out," Jackson told ESPN. "We know his spots, we know the shots he wants to get. He got great looks tonight. The only thing he didn’t have tonight was rhythm.

"His ability to get to his spots, his ability to be great, he did amazing, he drew a lot of defense for us and made it easier for us to get some easy shots.

"He didn’t have it necessarily going the way that we're all accustomed to, but he was still very special for us tonight. Happy to have him back. Hopefully we can keep everybody healthy and get this rolling."

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed George's absence for games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bills as the NBA All-Star deals with a swollen right toe.

George has been sidelined for the Clippers' past two games.

"Staying back home and getting some treatment," Lue said of George on Tuesday. "And we'll re-evaluate when we get back."

The Clippers face the Timberwolves on Wednesday before visiting the Bulls on Friday.

George is averaging 24.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game for the Clippers this season.

The Clippers (17-8) are third in the Western Conference, behind leaders the Utah Jazz (19-5) and defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers (19-6), following back-to-back losses.

Westbrook was hurt with around 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, colliding with Jordan Poole as he attempted to poke the ball past the Washington guard.

The 2017 NBA MVP exited the game around two minutes later and reports have suggested he may miss around a month, having sat out 14 games when he broke his other hand in the second game of the 2014-15 season.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, however, was unable to offer a timeline on Westbrook's recovery after the game, saying: "I just feel bad for Russ right now. 

"You never want to see a player get hurt. Poole drove around, and he tried to deflect it from the back. I think he hit his elbow with his hand.

"So we don't know what timetable, we don't know if he needs surgery or anything yet. But he's out right now. So we're just trying to figure it out."

Westbrook was the last remaining Clipper to have not missed a single game all season, but the team handled his absence well, improving to 38-20 with a dominant win.

James Harden led the team with 28 points while Kawhi Leonard added 27 and Paul George tacked on 22, as the Clippers bounced back from Wednesday's defeat to a LeBron James-inspired Los Angeles Lakers team.

For however long Westbrook is out, Lue knows he will be a major miss, saying: "He's going to stay engaged regardless. That's just who he is. 

"We need him around, we need his energy, we need him talking, the way he leads.

"Until he is able to get back, we're going to miss him. So hopefully it's a speedy recovery and we get him back sooner rather than later, but I'm not sure of the timetable right now."

Two-time NBA Finals MVP Leonard has been out since June with a torn right ACL which forced him out of last season's playoffs.

George has missed the Clippers' past 22 games, having been sidelined with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right shooting elbow since December 22.

The Clippers made the 2020-21 Conference Finals but are 27-27 this season, with injuries taking their toll.

Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank conceded he was uncertain whether 30-year-old small forward Leonard would return this season.

"I think the best answer is we don't know," Frank said. "He grinds every single day. He works. His focus is on his rehab.

"No one knows. He doesn't know. But all you can do is, just every day, continue to control what you can control and see how he responds."

Clippers head coach Ty Lue had alarmingly mentioned on Thursday that they "know Kawhi's probably not gonna come back," but he moved to clarify that comment.

"Hope is stronger than fear," Lue said. "So I'm hoping that these two guys can come back. But you never know."

Seven-time All-Star George will undergo an MRI on his elbow on February 24 but Frank said that would dictate his return date.

"You don't treat the MRI, you treat the player," Frank said. "When the MRI comes in, it's not a 'boom' that all of a sudden is a 'Eureka' moment for what we do. I think it's just part of the process.

"I think it's you see how Paul is responding. He's feeling better each and every day. The MRI is another kind of benchmark.

"I think the doctors put it all together and that's how they come to what the next steps are. My expectation is regardless of what the MRI says, it's just part of it. That's not going to be the ultimate decision-maker in what happens."

George has missed the Clippers' past five games due to a right elbow sprain. He last played on December 6 in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

The seven-time NBA All-Star is averaging 25 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists across 24 games this season.

The 16-14 Clippers, who reached the Western Conference semifinals last season, have not been at full strength all season, with Kawhi Leonard still absent with an ACL knee injury, while Serge Ibaka, Jason Preston, Marcus Morris and Isaiah Hartenstein have all had issues too.

"It's frustrating," Clippers head coach Ty Lue said. "We can't get a rhythm of how we want to play when all of our guys are here.

"But everyone is dealing with the same thing, I am pretty sure... but just having a chance to have our whole team for five, 10 games, just see how it looks going forward.... But it is frustrating."

The 76ers were seeking a new leader after Brett Brown was fired in the wake of their 4-0 loss to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

They plumped for Doc Rivers, whose appointment was announced in early October, but not until after looking at other candidates.

Among those was Lue, yet reports have claimed Embiid had objections to him coming in, with The Athletic pointing to tactical reasons and the sense that Lue had connections to fellow 76ers superstar Ben Simmons.

Embiid was asked about the report and said: "You've got to control what you can. I just try to come in every single day and do my job. These guys have put a lot of trust in me to make it happen.

"Those types of decisions, I'm not a GM [general manager], I'm not in the front office so that has nothing to do with me."

The 26-year-old Embiid told US reporters in a video call: "I've always told them that they've got to do whatever is best for the team so if they thought Doc was the right coach for us, then, I trust them.

"If they didn't think any of the other candidates were not the right choice for us, then I trust them. I'm sure that they did the background check.

"All I'll say is that we had a lot of great candidates, all of them are great. Ty, he's won a championship. I think we were looking at Mike D'Antoni who was an assistant coach with us and then Doc came in the picture so I thought the choice they made could have gone either way. Either of them would have been great for this team."

Lue went on to be named head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers in late October, succeeding Rivers who resigned in September after a 4-3 series loss to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semi-finals. He had previously served as assistant to Rivers with the Clippers.

George fell to the floor after his right knee collided with Luguentz Dort's knee in the air while attempting a rebound.

The eight-time All-Star got up with help and exited the game with 4:38 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said during his post-game press conference that George was still being evaluated and that he had not spoken to him.

ESPN reported George was spotted exiting the arena in the back of a cart with his right leg extended.

George scored 18 points with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals before exiting, with the loss seeing the Clippers fall to a 38-35 record in fifth in the West.

The 32-year-old is averaging 23.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this season.

Team-mate Kawhi Leonard said the Clippers would take on a "next man up" mentality if George was unavailable for a significant period.

"Next man up, but we'll see," Leonard told reporters. "We've got a group of guys that still want to win and like to play basketball. We'll see happens."

His best game yet as a Clipper saw him record 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as his new team took a 106-100 win over the Houston Rockets, who Harden played for between 2012 and 2021.

Harden had previously struggled to make an impact in Los Angeles, losing all five games he had played for the Clippers before Friday's win, in which the 34-year-old made eight of his 11 shots, including the vital three at the end.

Harden believes he is getting back to his former self, saying: "I'm getting real close.

"I'm getting close to myself. Every game I feel like I'm improving."

Russell Westbrook played just 17 minutes in the victory, his fewest since joining the Clippers prior to the All-Star break last season, with head coach Tyronn Lue revealing after the game that Westbrook had requested to come off the bench as the sixth man to help the team end their losing run.

"He wanted to do that, which [is] an ultimate sacrifice for a guy of his caliber," Lue told reporters. "For things he's done in this league, the things he's done for this team.

"So shout out to Russ for wanting to do that. It's a huge part of what we've talked about, just sacrificing wanting to win at a high level."

Paul George also appreciated Westbrook's sacrifice, explaining: "It's tough with his energy and obviously there's a ton of chemistry there.

"We've always played well off one another, but it just takes a lot for his sacrifice and what he did for us going forward to try new things out. [I] can't say enough on the character of Russ and his leadership."

Devin Booker scored 45 points as the Suns beat the Clippers 129-124 on Thursday to take a 2-1 lead, and only the Phoenix star is scoring more points so far in the postseason (36.3 per game) than Leonard (34.5).

But Leonard was not on the floor, watching instead from the sideline due to a knee injury.

The setback was only reported hours before the game in Los Angeles, although it was quickly clarified it was not related to the ACL injury that saw him miss the whole of last season.

Leonard could be back for Game 4, but his absence was a blow – especially as the Clippers came so close to beating the Suns even without him.

"I just feel sorry for him," team-mate Westbrook said. "He probably was playing his best basketball in a while, probably the best in the world, honestly. It just sucks just for him mentally.

"But it was good to see him be around and communicate with us on the bench. Hopefully we can see how he's feeling and see what's next.

"If he's not back, we have to rally around each other, support each other, find ways to make something happen. It's a series. First to four. Get ready for Saturday afternoon."

Coach Ty Lue added of the injury: "It's very deflating. I think more so for Kawhi.

"You have a guy who's coming off ACL, hasn't missed a rehab session, eats right, eats clean, does everything he can for his body, works extremely hard to get to this point. Then you have something like this happen.

"So, it's tough for him, for all the work that he puts in. I feel bad for him."

The Clippers were humiliated by Luka Doncic's Mavericks on Sunday, beaten 124-73 in the absence of star Kawhi Leonard.

Dallas produced a record-breaking first half as they earned a 77-27 lead at the interval – the Mavericks' 50-point advantage the largest through two quarters since the shot-clock era began in 1954-55.

George posted 15 points on four-of-13 shooting from the field, while he missed all six of his three-point attempts at home to the red-hot Mavericks.

"It's not that big of a deal," George said after the Clippers (2-1) suffered their worst loss in franchise history, having topped the Denver Nuggets on Christmas Day. "We got our butts whipped today, but it's one day.

"We wasn't ready today. We wasn't prepared. That's on me. So, we'll be ready for the next game."

"I take full responsibility," George added. "You know, it's a tough game coming [after] Christmas. I enjoyed my Christmas Day [celebration] yesterday. Today just popped up on me a little too fast.

"I'll take full ownership for that, coming out and being prepared to play today. Be a different situation come next game, and we will be ready."

It is the first time in NBA regular-season history that a team won a road game by 50-plus points against a franchise that had a .650 or better winning percentage the season before, per Stats Perform.

"Just an exception," Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said. "It doesn't take away from what we've been doing and what we've been working on and how we're trying to get better each night.

"[There] wasn't a lot of fight, a lot of pop tonight, and we know we'll have that come next game."

Leonard has only played in two of the Clippers' seven games this NBA season upon returning from an ACL injury from the 2021 playoffs that saw him miss the entire 2021-22 campaign.

The two-time NBA Finals MVP has been struggling with stiffness in his surgically-repaired right knee and has missed his side's last four games.

Leonard will miss another two, having been ruled out of road games against the Houston Rockets (Wednesday) and the San Antonio Spurs (Friday) and his status is uncertain for Sunday's game against the Utah Jazz.

"He's frustrated," Lue said. "He wants to be out on the floor. To then not be on the floor, then now he can't travel, he wants to travel but obviously, that's not the right thing to do right now.

"The stiffness and what he's going through, just frustrated putting in all the work the last 15 months, and to get to this point, and not being where he wants to be right now physically.

"He's getting better, and that's the most important thing."

In Leonard's two games this season, he played both off the bench, putting in 21 minutes on both occasions, averaging 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists.  The Clippers are 3-4 this season.

Lue will lead the Clippers in 2020-21 after replacing Doc Rivers following the team's stunning Western Conference semi-final exit in the NBA playoffs.

The Clippers were one of the favourites to claim their maiden title following the arrivals of Leonard and George but squandered a 3-1 lead against the Denver Nuggets at Walt Disney World Resort amid the coronavirus pandemic.

After going all-in to build a super team to outshine LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers – who reigned supreme in the Orlando bubble – pressure will again be on the Clippers to deliver a championship as time runs out.

"Any time you have a chance to win a championship, it's pressure," Lue told ESPN's 'The Jump' in an interview to be aired Thursday.

"And, I think Kawhi, PG are here to stay for a long time. We just gotta make it a great environment and we have to win."

Lue fronted the media for the first time since being appointed, stepping up to fill Rivers' void having served as an assistant for the Clippers in 2019-20.

The 43-year-old Lue guided the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first championship in 2016 – a team headline by James.

There were high hopes for the Clippers, boasting two-time champion Leonard, six-time All-Star George, Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams but team chemistry and leadership derailed the Los Angeles franchise last term.

The 2019-20 campaign was the ninth consecutive season the Clippers finished with a winning record (49-23) but failed to reach the Conference finals – the longest streak of its kind in NBA history, per Stats Perform.

"I think when you talk about chemistry and continuity, it is not off the court, the guys not liking each other," Lue told reporters on Wednesday.

"When you talk about chemistry, it is more so [George] came in and he had shoulder surgery, so he was out, he missed the whole training camp and was out the first 11 games of the season. Kawhi came in and couldn't participate in the whole training camp, and then we lost Pat Beverley, in and out of the lin-up a few times."

One of the Clippers' biggest strengths is their bench, averaging over 50 points per game in each of the past two seasons – the only times any team have done that in the past 35 years.

But in the playoffs this past season, the Clippers relied much more heavily on their starters as their bench averaged only 36.5 points per game in the postseason.

With the Clippers built to win now, their ageing roster also presents a problem. They are one of the oldest teams in the league, fourth and only behind the Houston Rockets (30 years, 179 days), Milwaukee Bucks (29 years, 321 days) and Lakers (29 years, 201 days) with an average of 28 years and 153 days.

"Leadership is different," Lue said. "You can talk about our two players, Kawhi and PG, they lead by example... And you are not going to have the best players be the natural leaders at all times. It doesn't happen like that. I think a lot of leadership has to come from me, has to come from Kawhi, PG, Lou and Pat Beverley. It's going to be collective.

"I got to show them different ways of leadership and they got to show me different ways of leadership. I don't know everything. They don't know everything... The biggest thing about leadership is just communication."

Lue will lead the Clippers in 2020-21 after replacing head coach Doc Rivers following the team's stunning Western Conference semi-final exit in the NBA playoffs.

The Clippers were one of the favourites to claim their maiden title following the arrivals of All-Stars Leonard and Paul George but squandered a 3-1 lead against the Denver Nuggets at Walt Disney World Resort amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Keen to make amends after last season's woes, Lue – who guided the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first championship in 2016 with a team headlined by LeBron James – hailed two-time NBA winner Leonard.

"Just as far as me talking to Kawhi, he is excited to get back on the court," Lue said during his virtual news conference on Wednesday.

"When you are dealing with great players, when you lose early on in the playoffs, you are always eager to get back. That is what great players do. We all failed at our goal last season and we all know that.

"Kawhi has done a great job of taking [initiative] to get guys on the phone, talking to guys, seeing guys more.

"He has done a great job of that. He is excited to get back on the floor just from talking to him and we are all excited as well."

Th 2019-20 campaign was the ninth consecutive season they finished with a winning record (49-23) but failed to reach the Conference finals – the longest streak of its kind in NBA history.

Former Clippers assistant Lue is no stranger to working with superstars, having enjoyed a successful partnership with James in Cleveland.

"Anytime you coach LeBron James, there is a lot of media scrutiny, a lot of pressure to win," Lue, whose Clippers will begin their season against defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers on December 22, said.

"And just being able to deal with that calibre of player, with Kawhi and PG being our two best players on the team, I think it translates over to just being the Clippers coach and being able to relate to those guys, understanding stars in this league, how they perform, what they like, what they want to do. Just being around guys like that, it's definitely helped me out a lot."

George – who averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in the regular season – struggled to produce when it mattered most and shot the ball much worse in 2019-20 when he shared the court with Leonard. The difference was even greater during the playoffs.

With Leonard on the court in the regular season, George's field-goal percentage was 41.1 compared to 48.2 without him. During the playoffs, George boasted a 53.8 shooting percentage while Leonard was sidelined, a significant improvement on the 36.8 per cent he managed together with the former Toronto Raptors favourite. 

Combined, George has a 48.8 percentage while Leonard is off the court, compared to 39.9 during the duo's time together.

"It was tough because we were confident," George said on the All The Smoke podcast when discussing the Clippers' collapse against the Nuggets. "We went up 3-1, we felt like, we're going to win the next one. We lost. We [were] like cool, we're up 3-2, we gonna win the next one.

"We lost. But during that whole process, we never worked on adjustments. We never worked on what to do differently. We just literally having the same s*** happen over and over again. It started to play a trick on you like man, what's going on?

"We are talking amongst each other like the conversation is, we are going to be all right. The conversation should have been like, nah, we need to change this, we need to switch this up. I don't think we deserved it. We wasn't prepared enough going into it.... We didn't put the work into it. It was kind of just like, yo, we got PG, we got Kawhi, Lou [Williams], Trezz [Montrezl Harrell]. We going to be straight, we are going to figure it out."

There are some news faces for the Clippers after Montrezl Harrell joined city rivals the Lakers – Serge Ibaka arriving from the Raptors and Nicolas Batum landing in Los Angeles after clearing waivers, while Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris re-signed.

Having missed the entirety of last season with an ACL injury suffered in the 2021 playoffs, Leonard came off the bench to play 21 minutes, scoring 14 points with seven rebounds in the Clippers' 103-97 triumph.

Leonard's return after a 16-month layoff provides a significant boost for the Clippers this season and the two-time NBA champion praised the atmosphere across the roster that helped to push him through his recovery.

"I feel good. We did an amazing job, the Clippers staff, putting together a team to get me out here quickly," he said on court after the game, "I just give it all to them, they match my motivation of getting back so that is all that you can ask for from them as a group."

Leonard added that the start off the bench was the best option, stating: "Like I told [coach Tyronn] Lue, whatever way with his subs and what he thinks how it should go without me affecting the game and causing people to get out of rhythm, I'm for it. I just want to win.

"Starting I would have been sitting like 35 minutes real time, so that's way too long, so I just felt that this was the best situation."

The Clippers boast an impressive amount of depth this year, with Leonard, Norman Powell, Luke Kennard, Robert Covington and Terence Mann all providing options at small forward, which Leonard says helps to balance responsibility across the team.

"It's amazing, we've seen it tonight, everyone is out there contributing on defense and on offense, as a leader, we've got to know who is on our team and that we don't have to do it every night," he added.

"We just have to show up in the big moments in the fourth quarter. We're just trying to all be stars in our roles and I think that is going to help us moving forward."

The Clippers will continue to be patient with Leonard, however, with the priority being that he is able to play at his best level come the spring, with head coach Tyronn Lue pressing caution.

"There's going to be some times when he looks like Kawhi Leonard and some times where he’s just trying to get a feel and not playing well," he explained.

"He has to understand that as great as he is, it's not going to come overnight. We've got to be patient with him in that regard and he has to be patient with himself as well."

Leonard was involved in an accidental collision with Serge Ibaka when his team-mate went for a defensive rebound and caught the two-time NBA champion with his elbow in the Christmas Day win over the Denver Nuggets.

Clippers star Leonard sat out the humiliating defeat to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, and the four-time All-Star will again be sidelined for Tuesday's clash with the Timberwolves.

"I am not sure when he's getting the stitches out," Clippers head coach Ty Lue said before tip-off against Minnesota. "But he's right now just day-to-day and recovery."

Leonard is averaging 23.5 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Clippers (2-1) this season.

The Clippers are looking to bounce back against the Timberwolves, following their 124-73 humbling at the hands of Luka Doncic's Mavericks.

Dallas produced a record-breaking first half as they earned a 77-27 lead at the interval – the Mavericks' 50-point advantage the largest through two quarters since the shot-clock era began in 1954-55.

It was also the first time in NBA regular-season history that a team won a road game by 50-plus points against a franchise that had a .650 or better winning percentage the season before, per Stats Perform.