Kawhi Leonard scored six points in 25 minutes in his first game in more than three weeks, and the LA Clippers beat the Detroit Pistons 96-91 on Thursday night in Los Angeles.
Leonard was previously listed as out for the game, but his status was upgraded to questionable at Thursday morning’s shootaround and he was declared good to play shortly before tipoff.
Leonard got the start and was 2 of 8 from the field, with five rebounds and four assists.
After playing in two of the first three games of the season, coming off the bench in both, Leonard experienced stiffness in his surgically repaired right knee at a morning shootaround before a game at Oklahoma City on Oct. 25. He missed 12 straight games.
Coach Tyronn Lue said he did not like the process of bringing Leonard off the bench midway through the second quarter for his first stint of action like the Clippers did in his first two games. The design of that was to allow Leonard to finish the fourth quarter for a long stretch and not have him sit too long in between playing time.
“That was too nasty,” Lue, speaking pregame, described of how it was to manage. “Yeah, I didn’t like it. I mean, you got the best player, you look down sometimes the game’s going for so long, you forget and then [assistant coach Brian Shaw] taps you on your shoulder, six [or] seven minutes go in the second quarter and [says], ‘Kawhi’s ready.’
“I forgot because the game’s going. So I just thought the best thing for us and to establish a rhythm, start him would be best.”
Leonard did not play last season after tearing his right ACL in Game 4 of the Clippers’ second-round playoff series against Utah on June 14, 2021.
Paul George (left hand contusion), who was listed as questionable, also started against the Pistons and had 16 points. Luke Kennard missed the first of at least a couple games with a right calf strain. The guard will be reevaluated within a week.