Kawhi Leonard will try to take another step forward in his second game of the season when the Los Angeles Clippers tip off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night in Minneapolis.
Leonard is coming off a cautious season debut in which he scored 12 points in 19 minutes against the Atlanta Hawks, whom Los Angeles beat 131-105. He is not certain how many minutes he will play against Minnesota, but Clippers coach Tyronn Lue likely will continue to bring him along slowly in his return from a right knee injury.
“We’re still easing me into the game,” Leonard said. “We’re on nobody’s timetable. Anybody watching that wants me to score 20 or 30 points or be aggressive, we are not on anyone’s timeframe. We know what’s ahead of us, and we have to keep building in the right direction. …
“(We treated my debut) like it was a preseason game. And we’ll keep moving the same way until I’m able to build up my minutes.”
The Timberwolves are not dealing with major injuries, but they are eager to correct their inconsistent performance that has plagued them for most of the season. Minnesota has lost three games in a row and six of its past nine to slip back to .500 on the season.
Timberwolves top scorer Anthony Edwards is coming off a career-high 53-point effort against the Detroit Pistons, but even that could not stop the team from its latest disappointing loss, 119-105 on the road.
“Right now, it’s just like an off timing with the way we’ve been playing,” veteran guard Mike Conley said. “We are inconsistent with the approach to the game. When we come out there, there’s one game we have a lot of energy, other games we don’t. One game we compete a bit more than others.
“We have to find a balance for that starting unit that allows us to start these games off the way we’re capable of starting them off. … A lot of it has to do, quite frankly, with our willingness to run for each other, space for each other and commit on the offensive end.”
Edwards leads the Timberwolves with 25.3 points per game, and Julius Randle is not far behind with 20.1 points to go along with seven rebounds per game. Naz Reid adds 12.5 points per game, and Rudy Gobert is averaging a double-double with 10.2 points and 10.3 rebounds.
The Clippers’ top three scorers consist of Norman Powell (23.5 points per game), James Harden (21.5) and Ivica Zubac (15.0). Then there is Leonard, who has 12 points in his only game but is capable of scoring much more as he gets into rhythm.
Clippers guard Terance Mann said Leonard’s knee injury did nothing to diminish his shot.
“His jump shot, he rarely missed during rehab,” Mann said. “(In his debut), his catch-and-shoot 3s, he rarely missed. So it’s good to see that 3-ball for him, and everything else will come naturally to him. It’s good to see where he’s at mentally with his jump shot.”
Minnesota is 2-0 against the Clippers this season and will go for a regular-season sweep on Monday. The Timberwolves won the first matchup 93-92 at home on Nov. 29, and they cruised to a 108-80 road win on Dec. 4.
–Field Level Media
