Kawhi Leonard Dazzles NBA Fans, Leads Clippers to Game 2 Win vs. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

Kawhi Leonard is a playoff hero once again.

The future Hall of Famer was unstoppable and led his Los Angeles Clippers to a 105-102 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their first-round series on Monday at Ball Arena. The series is now tied at one game apiece after the Nuggets won Game 1 in overtime.

Denver had a chance to force overtime again in the final seconds of Game 2 but missed multiple three-pointers.

The Clippers needed a major response following their missed chance in the first contest, and Leonard provided just that with 39 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals on 15-of-19 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 shooting from deep. James Harden added 18 points and seven assists, but it was the Leonard show when it mattered most.

He drilled a pullup jumper to extend the lead to three in the final minute and then intercepted a Nikola Jokić pass to help clinch the win. Jokić had a triple-double of 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, but Leonard was the biggest star Monday.

And social media noticed:

Los Angeles missed a golden opportunity to steal home-court advantage in Game 1, but there didn't seem to be any lingering effects in Game 2.

It jumped out to a three-point halftime lead thanks in large part to Leonard's individual brilliance. He poured in 21 points before intermission, three of which came on a buzzer-beating triple to end the half, and was ruthlessly efficient from midrange and when driving the lane.

Leonard looked like the version of himself that led the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 title, but the Nuggets' balanced attack meant it was still anyone's game heading into the second half.

A back-and-forth postseason game naturally leads to more intensity, which spilled over in the third quarter with a scuffle that started with Norman Powell and Jamal Murray. The end result was technical fouls on Powell, Christian Braun and Kris Dunn and a fired up crowd that only dialed up the atmosphere.

That didn't faze Leonard or Harden with the latter providing important secondary support with late-clock shot-making and timely passes when defenders collapsed on him.

That helped keep the Clippers just in front heading into the fourth quarter, although Russell Westbrook quickly changed that with multiple three-pointers when the visitors left him alone.

It set the stage for a dramatic finish, especially when Michael Porter Jr. also answered some Clippers' momentum with a game-tying three.

That finish featured Leonard hitting a fadeaway after Aaron Gordon missed a dunk in a critical swing, as well as Murray and Powell trading three-pointers. But Leonard took over on both ends in the final minute and gave the Clippers home-court advantage heading into Thursday's Game 3.