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By Joël Pütz | Sports journalist
The clippers will have a lot to do during the first round of the playoffs, they who will have to face the Nikola Jokic Nuggets. The good news is that Kawhi Leonard is gaining momentum in recent days. Nicolas Batum also expressed himself about him.
Season after season, the Clippers keep surprising the observers. Paul George left this summer and Kawhi Leonard absent for a good part of the exercise, we predicted the worst to the men of Tyronn Lue. And yet, the latter have finished the regular campaign in the top 5 of an overpowered west conference.
With 50 victories for 32 defeats, they also finished with the same assessment as the Nuggets and their rivals of the Lakers, which ranked third. Now, it will be necessary to get rid of Denver in order to access the second round of the Playoffs. Not an easy task therefore but we must not give the Californians losing in advance, especially since Kawhi Leonard returned to competition at the best of moments.
Nicolas Batum optimistic about Kawhi Leonard
Author of only 37 games this season, the double champion remains on two outings at 42 and even 47 minutes of playing time. The proof that he has found his canes and that his physique holds up, a very encouraging sign when we know how unstoppable The Claw can be. Questioned by the First Team Recently, his teammate Nicolas Batum also dropped his personal development on the star:
It's been 20-25 games that he is a hit, and on the last two games precisely, I am playing time, the 42, 48 minutes, in less than three days and the body holds. He makes two big performances, he turns at 26 points on average, he is a player of the week … He sets up his level at the best time. Here we start the playoffs with a top kawhi, with a little more off, we will be able to rest, it's great.
Again, the mission will not be simple while on the side of the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic has shot in triple-double medium this season. But the last weeks of the regular have enabled the French to be optimistic, while its Player franchise is gaining momentum. Especially since the rest of the team is not to be outdone:
We still managed to be top 6, top 7 all season, until he returned. With James (Harden) All-Nba, Zubac who is a candidate for the defender of the year, Powell … I will not redo the workforce but hey, you saw everything we did. But you add behind him, at this level? We are going to play against a big team with a monster also opposite, but it is certain that it brings us a lot of hope to do something good.
Kawhi Leonard was treated with caution for a good part of the regular season, but the final sprint allowed him to recover completely. The series of playoffs facing the Nuggets is already unmissable.
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