Kawhi Leonard's Secret Battle With Illness During Clippers vs Nets

Kawhi Leonard almost didn't play.

When Kawhi Leonard faced off against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon, he had a horrible start to the game but finished off hot. It turns out, Leonard was actually battling an illness and almost didn't suit up entirely.

After the Clippers defeated the Nets behind a spectacular 22-0 fourth quarter run, Clippers head coach Ty Lue revealed that Leonard was secretly battling an illness and didn't practice with the team.

"He had been under the weather a little bit," Ty Lue revealed. "He wasn't able to practice yesterday. So, we didn't even know if he was going to be able to go today. He did play and played through it. I thought in that fourth quarter he did catch a rhythm.

For how poorly Leonard started the game, he had a spectacular finish. In the fourth quarter, Kawhi Leonard ended up scoring 14 points on 100% shooting and single-handedly closing out the game with back-to-back threes. It was the type of game that really showed just how deep the Clippers were. Without James Harden and Russell Westbrook, the LA Clippers likely lose to the lowly Brooklyn Nets. However, having those extra stars put them in a position to allow Kawhi Leonard to find his groove.

The LA Clippers are now 19-4 in their last 23 games. Every single game tells a different story, each showing how the team is able to win in different ways. Up next for the Clippers, is the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

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