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Howdy, folks. Welcome back to Layup Lines. It’s Sykes, once again, here to usher you into the weekend. Let’s talk about Kawhi Leonard.
The NBA’s MVP debate is already raucous enough, so I don’t want to throw another wrench into it. But I’m just saying, man. The way Kawhi Leonard is playing right now? This dude should be a shoo-in for an All-NBA team and at least an honorable mention in the MVP conversation.
Get this — over the last 28 games of the season, Leonard is shooting 54% from the floor, 49% from 3-point range and 90% from the free throw line. He’s dunking on fools, hitting ridiculous turnaround fadeaway shots and locking everyone he guards up.
Most importantly, the guy just isn’t missing. Against Oklahoma City on Thursday Leonard hit 13 of his 15 shots to score 32 points. And that’s just how it’s been over the last three months or so for Kawhi.
Again, it’s way too late to insert him into the MVP conversation. But the Clippers should absolutely be feared heading into the playoffs. It’s honestly hard not to pick them for the Finals at this point considering how weak and top-heavy the West is. It’s not hard to fathom him being the best player in any series that doesn’t include Nikola Jokic in it — especially considering Kevin Durant and Steph Curry’s injury histories on the season.
Health is obviously going to be key for Los Angeles. Not only do the Clippers need to keep Kawhi on the court, but now Paul George is out with an MCL sprain and it’s unclear when he’ll be back. So it’s easy to question the Clippers’ playoff chances here.
But look. We’ve talked all year about how nobody wants to see the Warriors with Steph Curry and nobody wants to see the Suns, now, with Kevin Durant. Kawhi Leonard might be having a better season than both. And the Clippers are rolling right now.
Put some respect on this man’s name before you find yourself surprised come April.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
Yo, man. What’s up with Julius Randle? Officials don’t get it right all the time — just ask Fred Van Vleet. But, man. Yelling at the refs to the point that you get a technical foul? And then compounding that by almost fighting your teammate?
Sorry, Knicks fans. That’s not a good look at all. Bryan Kalbrosky has more.
“During New York’s game against the Magic on Thursday, the 2021 NBA Most Improved Player argued with referee Leon Wood. The longtime official is a former first-round pick and he is one of just three former NBA players to become an NBA referee.
While the forward argued with Wood, his teammate Immanuel Quickley tried de-escalating the situation. But unfortunately, Randle remained heated with the situation and eventually, the two had to get separated before the problem became even bigger.”
This is an issue. That was his third straight game with a technical foul. That also happened to be the Knicks’ third consecutive loss in a row.
If Randle is going to be a leader and the best player on that team, things like this cannot happen. I’m just afraid it may be too late to reverse course.
One to Watch
(All odds via Tipico.)
Warriors (-5.5, -190) vs. 76ers (+160), O/U 234.5, 10 PM ET
What makes this game so fascinating is everything both these teams are playing for. The Warriors have a shot to catch the Suns as the West’s 4th seed and get back into that homecourt slot. The 76ers are playing just a half-game behind the Celtics as the 2 seed. There’s a lot on the line here so both teams should come in their best form.
Shootaround
— The Hornets’ roster is so thin that Charlotte literally had no one on its bench, from Prince Grimes.
—Tom Brady is here for the WNBA and that’s a huge win for both him and the league.
— Markquis Nowell trash-talking Isiah Thomas is just perfect.
— AIR — the movie about Michael Jordan joining Nike with no Michael Jordan — has a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Enjoy the weekend, folks.
