In accordance with what has been standard operating procedure since Kawhi Leonard has returned, he Scissors did not play his All-Star forward in the fourth quarter Sunday night against the Lakers.
Even when the Clippers’ 26-point third-quarter lead was cut to 15 at the end of the quarter and 11 at the start of the quarter, Leonard sat on the bench.
But during the 24 minutes and 17 seconds Leonard played, the most he has played this season, he was sharper in his five games this season.
He was efficient in scoring his 19 points, making nine of 13 field goals.
Read more: Clippers show Lakers everything they are not in first rivalry game at Intuit Dome
“I’m happy with the progress,” Leonard said after the Clippers victory 116-102 at the Intuit Dome. “For me, it’s just about how I feel and coming out of games feeling great. But I still have work to do and we are going to continue taking every step.”
Leonard missed the first 34 games of the season due to inflammation in his right knee. Sunday night gave him another chance to build.
When Leonard circled Gabe Vincent to the baseline and scored on a layup in the second quarter, it was another sign he was taking a step in the right direction.
“Like I said, I liked Kawhi’s rhythm, getting to a place.” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue saying. “We just have to keep building and keep putting in the days.”
Lue said Leonard will not play Monday night against the Chicago Bulls. Leonard also didn’t play Thursday in Portland after the Clippers played the day before.
The Clippers have four more games this week, including a back-to-back set on Wednesday against Boston and Thursday against Washington, which likely means Leonard won’t play in one of those games. The Clippers finish their five-game homestand Saturday against Milwaukee.
They will play an extra game this week after the NBA made changes to the schedule in the wake of postponements caused by wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
“We go day by day,” he said. Clippers center Ivica Zubacwho was missing a rebound for another 20-20 game with 21 points and 19 rebounds. “You try to win game by game. We were focused on tonight. We were not looking forward. So tomorrow is a new day, forget about everything that happened tonight and try to go find another one. Then rest, recover on the day off and prepare again. There is nothing you can do. There’s nothing you can change.”
Despite his injury-marred career, Leonard surpassed the 14,000-point mark on Sunday. He is hopeful he can achieve even more as he continues his recovery from injury.
Read more: Clippers guard Norman Powell continues to work at the All-Star level
“I’m happy I was able to follow the game long enough to get to that point,” said Leonard, who has 14,005 career points. “But for me, however, I don’t see it as a milestone. I’m more of a team guy and I want to win, go down, be the last team standing and that’s what I played for. But thank God for me I was able to have that opportunity, and most people don’t have it. Therefore, I would like to take advantage of every opportunity and blessing and not take them for granted.”
In the midst of the Clippers overwhelming the Lakers, James Harden reached another milestone. He moved into 14th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 26,721 points, passing Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.
Harden scored 21 points and 12 assists against the Lakers.
Read more: LeBron says Lakers must play almost perfect to win: “This is how our team is built”
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.