James Harden, Clippers blow out Jazz as Kawhi Leonard progresses toward return

12/17/2024 01:22 AM

INGLEWOOD — "What up? What up, what up?" Kawhi Leonard said casually, holding a plate of food as he strolled through the Clippers' locker room.

It's the question so many have been asking. What's up with the Clippers' rehabbing superstar?

Leonard has not played in the team's first 27 games while he works to overcome inflammation in his right knee. He was on the bench again Monday night as the Clippers rolled over the Utah Jazz, 144-107, at the Intuit Dome.

While the answer surrounding Leonard continues to be murky, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue shed some light on the situation. He said there is a chance Leonard could travel with the team for the Clippers' two-game trip to Dallas later this week.

"That hasn't been determined yet, so we'll see going forward after tonight," Lue said before Monday's game. "Tomorrow, (we'll) get a chance to reassess everything and … see what happens."

The fact that there is any chance that the six-time All-Star would join his teammates for his first road game this season indicates a sooner-than-later return, though Lue would not give a concrete timeframe or any further details on Leonard's long-awaited return.

"I don't want to say the wrong thing, so I don't know," Lue said, adding only that Leonard has progressed very well. "Yep. Progressed very well."

The team has been tight-lipped about Leonard's status this season, saying things such as he's checking the right boxes, or he needs to be 100% before he returns. Lue's comments were the clearest indication yet that the two-time NBA Finals MVP is inching closer to playing again.

The Clippers (15-12), who came into the game having played just one game since last Sunday (Dec. 8), didn't need Leonard to beat the Jazz (5-20) or post their highest-scoring game this season. They had a healthy James Harden and Norman Powell.

Harden, who missed the game against the Houston Rockets last Sunday because of a mild groin strain, showed no effects of any lingering discomfort, scoring a game-high 41 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field (7 for 11 from 3-point range). Harden was 12 for 14 at the free-throw line and had six assists.

It was Harden's second 40-point game this season, becoming the ninth player in franchise history to have multiple 40-point games in the same season. His first was a 43-point performance against the Washington Wizards on Nov. 27.

Powell poured in 29 points, while Ivica Zubac had 19 points and 12 rebounds in the lopsided victory.

"Having that time off was very valuable to get James back healthy with DJ (Derrick Jones Jr.) being out," Lue said.

Jones is out for another week because of hamstring strain.

Harden worked the shot clock down and closed the first quarter with his fifth 3-point basket – from 29 feet away – to give the Clippers a 44-20 lead. He became the first player to make seven 3-pointers and 11 free throws in one half since the 1996-97 season.

Harden scored 24 points in the opening 12 minutes – second in franchise history behind only Lou Williams' 27-point third quarter in a January 2018 game against Golden State – and added another 10 in the second quarter to lead the Clippers to an 81-47 halftime advantage.

It was the most points the Clippers had scored in a half since they had 82 against Washington in 2019, showing what a week of rest can do for a team that had been battling injuries.

The Clippers, like several other teams that didn't advance to the knockout round of the NBA Cup, enjoyed several days off.

"I like that Cup," Lue jokingly said. "Shoulda had it a long time ago."

In a more serious tone, Lue said the layoff was important to get their players healthy as the schedule will ramp up again after the holidays.

"To try to get guys back, it's been really good for us," Lue said. "It couldn't happen at a better time, so we are just using these days to make sure we're smart, doing more walkthroughs just to make sure we're covering everything we need to get better at on both sides of the basketball. And then letting our guys recover as far as the injuries and little knick-knack things here and there."

Jordan Clarkson scored 20 points, Lauri Markkanen added 17 and Collin Sexton had 15 for the Jazz, who lost their third consecutive game and fell for the eighth game in their last nine contests.

More to come on this story.