Kawhi Leonard, the Los Angeles Clippers’ superstar forward, is set to make his return to the court in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. Leonard has been sidelined since March 31 due to knee inflammation, but he has been cleared to play after missing the Clippers’ Game 1 victory over the Mavericks.
Leonard’s return is a major boost for the Clippers, who are looking to make a deep playoff run this season. The Clippers were underdogs at home in Game 1 against the Mavericks, a team they are now facing in the postseason for the third time in five years. With Leonard out in that game, the Mavericks had a golden opportunity to steal home-court advantage with a victory and set the tone for this series before the best Clipper could make his impact felt.
But despite Leonard’s absence, the Clippers not only beat the Mavericks in the series opener, but blew them out. Dallas never led in the game, while the Clippers were ahead by as many as 29 points. A late Dallas surge wasn’t enough to make the game competitive, and the Mavericks missed their chance to gain ground on the Clippers before Leonard could return.
Still, whether or not Leonard is healthy, this series is going to be competitive. When these teams faced off in 2020, pushed the Clippers to six in his first playoff appearance. A year later, he took three road games on the Clippers on Los Angeles, but lost all three of his home games in Dallas as well as Game 7 to drop the series.
Now these teams are going at it yet again, and with a number of new faces. , , and revamped supporting casts grace the rivalry this time around, but no player looms quite as large as Leonard. The two-time Finals MVP has been the obstacle that Dallas just hasn’t been able to overcome in this matchup. They’ll try to do just that on Tuesday as he returns for Game 2.
