The memory of Los Angeles All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard scoring at his leisure during a late-December matchup remained front and center for the Houston Rockets as they prepared for the first game of a home back-to-back against the visiting Clippers on Tuesday.
Leonard scored 41 points in that 20-point victory on Dec. 23, the first of his career-high four 40-point games this season. Leonard entered play Tuesday averaging 30.2 points per game this month, and he held the Rockets’ undivided attention with another contest between the teams set for Wednesday.
The Rockets responded by hounding Leonard throughout their 102-95 win on Tuesday, limiting him to 24 points on 7-for-19 shooting. Tari Eason drew the primary defensive assignment on Leonard, but the Rockets sent several bodies his way. Amen Thompson and Dorian Finney-Smith also chipped in with the occasional double-team to slow the assault.
“He’s on a hot streak right now,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said of Leonard, who ranks eighth in the NBA with a career-best average of 27.9 points per game. “The ball is in his hands more, and they’re surrounding him with good pieces. For us, we like our length and size on the wings defensively, and we’ve got a lot of bodies we can throw at him. But you want to keep him off-balance.
“I’ve coached Kawhi for years (as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs), and I’ve seen some things I can possibly do to go after him.”
The Clippers remade their roster at the trade deadline, shipping out James Harden and Ivica Zubac and welcoming Darius Garland, Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson.
Garland (toe) has yet to play for the Clippers. Mathurin scored nine points in 26 minutes in his Los Angeles debut on Tuesday. Jackson also appeared for the Clippers for the first time, netting five points in five minutes.
Brook Lopez has replaced center Zubac in the starting lineup, and with Harden in Cleveland, Leonard will get additional opportunities as the unquestioned primary option on offense.
Rockets star Kevin Durant acknowledged that his team’s task against the Clippers was eased by Harden’s departure.
“I just think our physicality ramped up,” Durant said. “I mean, not having James Harden out there helps, too, as somebody else who can create offense and get everybody else involved. But yeah, we knew this team, Kawhi’s playing great basketball, and he’s willing these guys to up their game.”
The Clippers shot just 40.9% from the floor and missed 22 of 30 3-point attempts. John Collins (17 points) was the only double-digit scorer aside from Leonard for Los Angeles, which has ample experience of teams attempting to stifle Leonard. The trick is converting scoring opportunities when they are presented.
“They put two on the ball,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “I don’t think we capitalized well enough when they double-teamed Kawhi. We didn’t do a good job with our spacing and making the right play and making the right pass. (Wednesday), we’ll be ready.
“We understand our space, and we understand how to get to our spots. And teams are going to double-team Kawhi, so we know exactly what should be on the floor, so we just can’t panic. Take our time, make the right pass, make the right read, and we’ll be fine.”
