Kawhi Leonard helped recruit his former Toronto Raptors teammate Serge Ibaka to the Los Angeles Clippers in this off-season to reinforce an attacking court that desperately needed internal defensive help. Instead, it was Leonard who took the weight of Ibaka’s strength inside for Christmas, when a little friendly fire left Leonard bleeding on the floor.
The play came around the 6:10 mark of the fourth period. Patrick Beverley missed a shot and Ibaka went up to try to catch the rebound. He didn’t understand, but accidentally elbowed Leonard in the jaw, sending him to the ground immediately and taking a lot of blood by NBA standards. Leonard ended up leaving the game without returning and was forced to receive eight points to treat a tear in the mouth, and Clippers finally won, 121-108.
The Clippers are notoriously cautious when it comes to injuries, and routinely took Leonard out of regular season games last season in the name of preserving his body. A possible injury to the jaw is a different animal, because there is not exactly a chance of recurrence. If there is no serious harm other than pain, Leonard probably won’t have to waste any time. Ty Lue, Clippers coach told reporters after the game that “he’ll be fine”, then this is the most likely scenario, which means that the Clippers were lucky to escape Denver with a win and a healthy superstar.