Kawhi Leonard said he feels good physically after making his return from injury in the Los Angeles Clippers' victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
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."
Wembanyama 'flips the switch' to down Curry and Warriors
Victor Wembanyama said he had flipped a switch upon his return to action on Saturday, as the San Antonio Spurs managed an impressive 104-94 win over the Golden State Warriors.
San Antonio found themselves trailing by 17 points near the end of the third quarter and in danger of seeing their winning streak snapped at two games.
However, they rallied for the biggest comeback win by any team facing the Warriors this season, with Wembanyama the driving force.
Returning after sitting out three games with a right knee contusion, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year had 25 points, seven rebounds and nine assists while also shooting 2-of-3 from 3-point range after half-time.
"I did find my rhythm physically," Wembanyama said afterwards. "It was a little hard to come back in terms of conditioning in the first half.
"There's a switch I'm trying to flip on demand.
"Strong catches, quick moves, not holding the ball, but also taking my time, taking shots with confidence, good feet and good preparation for the shot."
Point guard Chris Paul always knew a tough first half – in which Wembanyama went 2-of-6 from 3-point range – would not impact his team-mate's confidence.
"Vic's confidence never wavers, and it's so dope to see," Paul said. "He's confident. He knows the next one's going in.
"Vic was huge, just being his first game back. The defense, the shots. The plays that he made tonight were all winning plays. He's an alien. He's just so unique."
Golden State coach Steve Kerr was also left in awe of Wembanyama's all-round display, saying: "He was amazing, blocking shots, thwarting others, just being a presence in the paint.
"It was an impressive performance by him and by the whole team, defensively."
NBA: Bucks overcome Ball's 50 points in win over Hornets
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 11 rebounds and the resurgent Milwaukee Bucks overcame LeMelo Ball’s career-high 50 points in a 125-119 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.
Milwaukee opened the fourth quarter with a 14-5 spurt for a 110-90 lead, but the Hornets got it to 121-119 on Brandon Miller’s 3-pointer with 15 seconds left.
Taurean Prince answered with a pair of free throws for the Bucks to make it a two-possession game, and Charlotte missed a pair of 3-pointers on the ensuing possession. Antetokounmpo hit two free throws with 4.5 seconds left to make it 125-119.
Ball hit 17 of 38 shots, including 6 of 17 from beyond the arc, and 10 of 13 free throws to surpass his previous personal best of 38 points, done twice.
Brandon Miller added 32 points for the Hornets, who have lost five of seven.
Milwaukee, which completed a 4-0 homestand, has won six of its last seven. The only loss in that span was a 115-114 loss to the Hornets on Nov. 16 following a controversial foul call.
Charlotte’s Grant Williams went to the locker room late in the fourth quarter with an apparent leg injury and did not return.
Milwaukee hit four consecutive 3s for a 12-3 run and a 96-83 lead late in the third quarter.
Nuggets use dominant 2nd half to rout Lakers
Nikola Jokic scored 34 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 24 as the Denver Nuggets used a strong second half to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102.
Russell Westbrook had 14 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for Denver against his former team.
Austin Reaves scored 19 points and LeBron James added 18 for the Lakers, who lost consecutive home games after starting the season 7-0 at home. Rui Hachimura, back in the starting lineup after he missed the previous five games with a left ankle sprain, scored 10 points in 22 minutes.
It was the teams' first meeting since the Nuggets beat the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs earlier this year. Denver also swept them in the Western Conference final the previous year.
Denver trailed by six points at halftime but outscored Los Angeles 37-15 in the third quarter and 70-39 for the second half while dominating inside and outside.
Westbrook had a putback dunk at the end of the third quarter to put the finishing touches on an authoritative quarter and extend the lead to 94-77. Westbrook then twirled his arms around emphatically in celebration as he ran back down the floor.
Magic down Pistons to continue surge
Franz Wagner continued his hot stretch with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and the Orlando Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons 111-100 for their eighth win in nine games.
Wagner, who has scored 30 or more points in five of his last seven games, sat out the fourth quarter while the Magic’s bench stretched Orlando's lead to 22 with 7:19 remaining.
He has averaged 27.7 points in the 11 games since the Magic lost star Paolo Banchero to a torn oblique.
Mo Wagner had 18 points and seven rebounds off the Orlando bench, and Jonathan Isaac added five points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 19 points and seven rebounds. Malik Beasley, starting in place of the injured Cade Cunningham, added 18 points.
Orlando remained unbeaten at home (8-0) despite playing without Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. and losing Jalen Suggs to a sore left hamstring in the first half.
After Beasley’s 3-pointer pulled the Pistons even at 56 at the outset of the second half, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope answered with a 3 and the Magic went off on a 20-9 run that included nine straight Magic points from Franz Wagner.
Kidd hails Mavs' character after road win over Nuggets
Jason Kidd hailed the character of his Dallas Mavericks team after their gutsy win over the Denver Nuggets.
The Mavericks overcame Luka Doncic's absence, and a triple-double from returning Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, to win 123-120 in Friday's NBA Cup game.
It also marked the third consecutive game the Mavericks have had seven players hit double figures.
The Mavericks appeared to be running away with a dominant win after leading by as many as 24 points early in the third quarter, only for the Nuggets to swiftly respond.
They struck a fierce 28-9 run in an eight-minute span to bring the game within single digits going into the final quarter, but the Mavericks held on for a fourth straight win.
"We were here 10 days ago, we learned from that situation, we kept our composure. This group stayed together," Kidd said.
"On the defensive end we made stops and on the offensive end we made some big plays.
"We didn't finish the game 10 days ago. But the guys stepped up. Defensively, we did what we had to do. A lot of small things that we cleaned up from the last time we were here.
"This is a character game for us. Again without Luka, on the road, we were just in this situation in Oklahoma City. The games are too close for us to make mistakes late.
"This team has a lot of character, a lot of trust and we're becoming a team - it's still early in the season, we've had some injuries, but it's about the next man up and those guys are stepping up."
Dallas (9-7) improved to 2-1 in West Group C to keep their hopes of being one of eight teams to advance to the knockout round. The Mavericks trail the Golden State Warriors, who improved to 3-0 in Group Play after Friday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
It was also a night to remember for Naji Marshall, who scored a career-high 26 points off the bench.
After scoring 15 points in the second half of Tuesday’s game against the Pelicans, Marshall scored 16 points in the first half on Friday.
Marshall had only two 15-point halves in his career prior to accomplishing the feat in consecutive halves, with Kidd showering praise for his recent displays.
"Just the trust. Marshall was playing extremely well for us. With the game on the line, he makes a floater with one second left on the shot clock," Kidd said.
"The confidence the guys have in him on the offensive end and defensive end [helps]."
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