Nikola Jokic tipped his cap to Kawhi Leonard after rock solid Game 2 performance

Kawhi Leonard put up a dominant performance in a Game 2 victory over the Denver Nuggets, and Nikola Jokic tipped his cap to the Clippers superstar after the game

BY TRENT FINNEGAN

Apr 22, 2025, 10:39 AM

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Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets had no answers for the greatness of Kawhi Leonard on Monday night in a 105-102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. The two-time NBA Finals MVP got whatever he wanted en route to a 39-point explosion on 15-of-19 shooting. Only one of the 15 field goals he made was inside of the restricted area (a fastbreak dunk), and three of his four misses were from 3-point territory.

No matter who was guarding Leonard, he was able to make them pay with his mid-range jumpers. Of his 15 field goals, 13 of them came against one-on-one coverage from Denver. Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson and Christian Braun all took a stab at guarding him, but were unsuccessful in doing so. When David Adelman and the Nuggets tried to throw a double team at the Claw, he made them pay with his playmaking, as his five assists were the second-most by any Clipper on Monday and two more than his season average of 3.1.

What do the Nuggets need to do in order to stop Leonard? As seen in his championship run in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors, if he’s making shots at an efficient clip, no one can stop him.

“He had a night, it’s really hard,” Jokic said after the loss. “Maybe we should just make him feel more crowded, but I think he’s so used to it … Maybe make him hesitate more, let’s say it like that.”

It’s not like every shot that Leonard was making was wide open. The Nuggets were able to get a hand in his face on a lot of his jumpshots, but it didn’t affect Leonard.

“He made tough shots, but are they really tough shots for him?”

In nine playoff games Leonard has played against Denver, he shot over 60% from the field in three of them. However, in the seven game series in the NBA Bubble in 2020, Leonard also had two games in which he shot under 30% from the floor. What did Denver do in those games to slow him down?

In Game 2 of that series back in the Bubble, Leonard shot just 4-of-17 from the field. What stuck out was how much the Clippers tried to set up his possessions with ball screens, whereas a lot of his work was a post catch or one-on-one isolation in Monday’s game. When the Clippers had him running the pick and roll five years ago, Denver was able to crowd his space much more than they have been to start this year’s series.

Is sending a double on the catch the answer? That would then allow James Harden to have the ball in his hands in a four-on-three situation, not something the Nuggets want to go up against. Switching to a zone defense also isn’t the answer, as Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has already found the answer to carve up Denver’s zone.

Physicality needs to be Denver’s answer. Leonard was able to get to his spots with little-to-no-resistance all night long on Monday. The Nuggets can say that they tried their best by putting a hand in his face to contest, but that doesn’t matter against one of the NBA’s best scorers if he’s picking and choosing his spots in the mid range. Whether it’s Aaron Gordon or Peyton Watson (Murray and Brown aren’t big enough to get physical with Leonard), they need to do their heavy lifting when he’s dribbling and working to get to the mid-range or when he’s trying to post up and get a clean catch.

Leonard is one of the best scorers in the playoffs. He’s going to get his points. However Nikola Jokic knows that the Nuggets have to do a better job of crowding him and being more physical with the Clippers’ superstar.