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Kawhi Leonard and Coach Lue Go Critical on Team After Clippers’ 107-123 Loss vs Kings

Published 02/26/2024, 12:51 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

Kawhi Leonard and Tyronn Lue didn’t mince words after the blow-out loss. The short-handed LA Clippers hosted the in-form Sacramento Kings and faced a disappointing 107-123 defeat. James Harden & Co seemed off-color throughout the game and struggled to match up with the Kings’ pace and lead. Speaking of the team’s performance, Leonard and the team’s HC Lue criticized the team left, right and center.

The 2x NBA Champion pointed out an important flaw and said, “I feel like we’re competing but we’re a step behind,” after the game.

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Following him, addressing the press after the game, Tyronn Lue spoke his mind. Responding to a reporter’s question, “What went wrong tonight? ” Lue said, “Everything.” And speaking of the defense, he said, ” Too slow defensively, we didn’t do a good job… we didn’t have a good game.” He further went on to point out several other flaws in the game.

The Clippers had a major setback even before stepping on the court. The team’s star forward Paul George missed the night, owing to a sore left knee. Since the star hasn’t had troubles with his knee in this season, the team didn’t risk it. Considering the team’s history with PG-13’s injuries, it seemed like a wise choice. But it didn’t prove to be a good decision after the final buzzer.

Before this game, the Clippers had played three games without him and managed to win all three. Tonight, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook couldn’t take the team past the finish line. The team wasn’t at its personal best. All three stars had a poor night, shooting the ball.

On the other end, the team also had a pending criticism about their defense. While it had superstar defenders like Leonard, Russ, and Harden, the teams seem to be at almost the bottom of the list for the worst defense in the season.

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Let’s take a closer look at Leonard’s response to the big defense question.

Kawhi Leonard opens up about defending the big dogs

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Defeating the size advantage at play, some superstars like Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and De’Aaron Fox continue to dominate the paint with their speed and accuracy. Speaking of the Clippers’ poor defense record this season, Kawhi Leonard opened up about guarding players like Fox and Shai, and keeping them away from the paint.

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He said, “Paying attention to detail. Making sure that we are not making… wide open, but they are great players. They are gonna do what they gonna do.”

What do you make of the Clippers’ disappointing game tonight? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Shahul Hameed

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Shahul Hameed is a Senior NBA Writer at EssentiallySports. Armed with a Master's Degree in journalism from a distinguished institute, his journey into sports writing began during his college days, and since then, Shahul has been captivated not only by the remarkable consistency of Stephen Curry but also by the enduring legacy of LeBron James. He specializes in covering the live basketball action.
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