The LA Clippers avenged their 2020 playoff loss against Denver Nuggets by posting a comfortable win over them in their Christmas Day game. However, the victory didn’t come in the happiest of circumstances as Kawhi Leonard suffered a nasty injury that forced him to leave the game. 

Things went the Clippers’ way right from tip-off and they maintained the momentum to dominate their opponents. The LA-based team carried their lead into the fourth quarter as well, but disaster struck with just a stroke above six minutes left in the game. 

It almost seemed like a friendly fire moment when Serge Ibaka lept up to secure a rebound which injured Kawhi Leonard in the process. Ibaka mistakenly caught Leonard with his elbow, and the smashing impact left Leonard on the ground with a bloodied jaw. 

Kawhi Leonard required immediate treatment but is doing fine

Ibaka’s sharp elbow to Leonard’s face happened quite swiftly in real-time and one could not experience the real blow taken by the Clippers forward. However, further replays revealed the impact of the hit and a wounded Leonard had to receive treatment on the court. 

The strong elbow from Ibaka cut Leonard’s jaw which opened up the path for blood flow. An avid NBA fan would know that the ‘Klaw’ is a tough nut, but it was indeed worrying to see him in that state. 

Leonard was taken out from the game owing to the seriousness of the blow and sideline reporters waited on the court to receive an update from the management. Here’s what ESPN’s Malika Andrews reported: 

“Kawhi Leonard had 8 stitches to treat a mouth laceration after colliding with Serge Ibaka.” However, Clippers’ head coach Tyronn Lue said Leonard will be “fine” after getting his jaw busted open by Ibaka. 

Clippers continue winning run under Ty Lue

The LA Clippers saw a coaching change in the franchise after seven long years. Tyronn Lue came replaced Doc Rivers at the position, and it is safe to say that he’s performing a terrific job at the moment. 

Lue is off to a 2-0 start to the season and the Clips have been convincing indeed. They beat the Lakers on the opening night and cruised to a comfortable victory against the Denver Nuggets as well. 

Clippers lost Kawhi early in the fourth quarter, but the game already looked to be in their favor at that point. Paul George soared to a 23 point performance while Nikola Jokic was unable to get his team over the line even with a near triple-double performance. 

The LA Clippers eventually went on to win the game 121-108 to improve their 2021 record to 2-0. Kawhi Leonard is yet to fire big for the team and we wish him a speedy recovery from his injury.