Kawhi Leonard Was Not Going To Let An Injury Slow Him Down

Editorials News | May-25-2019

Kawhi Leonard Was Not Going To Let An Injury Slow Him Down

Kawhi Leonard was not going to let an injury slow him down though Raptors extremely concerned

That is the opinion of the NBA legend, Byron Scott, who believes that Leonard's heavy minutes will soon reach him. Leonard is currently playing the best basketball of his career and has taken them to the pinnacle of his first appearance in the NBA finals.

But in the last two games against Milwaukee, there have been clear signs that the 27-year-old is playing through the pain barrier. Game 3 saw Leonard play a 52-minute game when the Raptors won in overtime. However, during the game, he occasionally limped around the court and did not see his normal and explosive state. That said, he still finished with 36 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

He had another impressive line of statistics the last time in Game 4 when Toronto tied the series, but there were more grimaces in Leonard's face. At one point in time, he saw that he had signed Giannis Antetokounmpo with a fierce dunk, but the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 NBA Finals shuddered when he fell again. There has been no official statement from the Raptors on the Leonard issue, but they will hope that he can play a pivotal role in the remaining games of the series to try to reach the NBA Finals.

The 27-year-old star appeared to injure his leg after finishing a tray and was walking with a remarkable limp during the first half of the Raptors' 3 games with the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday. Leonard, however, remained in the game and led his team to a 118-112 victory in double overtime. He was asked about the injury during a post-game interview with TNT.

"I feel good," Leonard said. "This is playoff basketball; everybody is suffering, we just have to keep fighting." Despite the injury, Leonard scored 36 points in 11 of 25 shots in a game with 52 minutes of action. The victory reduced the deficit of the Toronto series to 2-1.

"I have confidence in myself," Leonard said. "My teammates have confidence in me, I just go out and play, I can live with the results because I'm giving 110%." Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 24 and 30 points, respectively, in the first two games of the series. But the Raptors limited it to only 12 points on Sunday. Antetokounmpo missed one out in the second overtime.

"You need a team," Leonard said of Antetokounmpo's defense. "He's a great basketball player, that's why he's an MVP finalist, we all have to show our hands and play hard, he's a great player, he plays hard and excellently leads his team."

By: Preeti Narula

Content: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/raptors-kawhi-leonard-playing-through-leg-injury-vs-bucks-this-is-playoff-basketball/1oks9lujmj1z4197uxn5lw1r9y

 


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