The Clippers star last played a game in the NBA against Dallas in the first-round playoff series on April 26.
After missing the NBA action for eight months, Kawhi Leonard made a season debut for the Los Angeles Clippers against Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. LA Clippers upgraded him to questionable on their injury report Friday night.
Los Angeles Clippers routed the Atlanta Hawks 131-105 and improved to 20-15 in the West. They dropped 45 points in the second quarter to take a 74-54 lead at halftime. A 12-3 run helped the Clippers to stretch their lead to 24 points in the third. Hawks rallied a comeback through Trae Young’s double-double but damage was already done.
ESPN’s Shams Charania already confirmed on Friday that Leonard is planning to make his season debut at Intuit Dome. The six-time NBA All-Star was part of Tyronn Lue’s starting lineups but was played for just 19 minutes and finished with 12 points.
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Kawhi Leonard tallied 12 points, three rebounds, one steal and one assist over his 19-minute stay in season-debut while shooting 4-for-11. He scored his first basket with a 3-pointer over the hand of No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher.
Leonard recovered from a right knee injury and Clippers star last played a game in the NBA against Dallas in the first-round playoff series on April 26. He also missed Paris Olympics 2024 due to delay in the recovery process.
James Harden scored 10 points, and 15 assists while Ivica Zubac added 18 points, and 18 rebounds for the Clippers. Norman Powell led all starters with 20 points. His next assignment will be on Monday in a road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Leonard may get more minutes.
Score: Clippers 131, Hawks 105
| Minutes Played | 19 |
| Points | 12 |
| Rebounds | 3 |
| Assist | 1 |
| Steals | 1 |
| Blocks | 0 |
| Turnovers | 0 |
| FGs | 4-11 |
| 3Ps | 3-5 |
| FTs | 1-3 |
Image Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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