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[Saba Sports News] The Los Angeles Clippers secured a big home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, defeating them 132-119. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 33 points on an efficient 12-for-19 shooting night, but it was James Harden who delivered the game’s most jaw-dropping highlight.
Late in the third quarter, Harden found himself matched up against Evan Mobley—arguably the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year.
But facing off against Harden’s elite handles is always a risky proposition. Harden put Mobley through a series of crafty moves before blowing past him for a layup, sending the Clippers bench into a frenzy.
Well, ‘most’ of the bench.
As teammates reacted with excitement, one player remained completely unfazed—Kawhi Leonard. His stone-faced expression stood out in contrast to the celebration around him, a reaction that perfectly aligns with his famously stoic demeanor.
Just last week, Leonard was visibly animated after sinking a game-winning shot against the Sacramento Kings. But in this case? It was just another play in the game for him.
With the regular season winding down, the Clippers are finding their rhythm, but the real priority remains keeping Leonard healthy for the playoffs. Injuries have cut his postseason runs short in recent years, and he’s determined to avoid that fate this time around.
“My goal is to be healthy at the end of the season so I can have a good summer and not worry about doing a whole rehab process again and missing training camp,” Leonard said after the win over the Kings.
For now, the Clippers are rolling, Harden is making defenders look foolish, and Leonard—true to form—isn’t getting too high or too low about any of it.