Right now – the Milwaukee Bucks are rolling – and the Los Angeles Clippers are managing Kawhi Leonard’s load.
Truly, it’s the tale of two superstars and their organizations headed in opposite directions. First, let’s look at what Giannis Antetokounmpo spent his Wednesday night doing. This is called setting the tone for the now 6-2 Bucks, who won the game 129-124 on the strength of a 70-point first half.
The Greek Freak throws it DOWN! 🔨#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/2G6MNlDhE6
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 7, 2019
Next, let’s check out what Kawhi Leonard was up to.
Kawhi to sit vs. Bucks due to load management https://t.co/9S1x8RlZEs pic.twitter.com/sNPekE9yuQ
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) November 6, 2019
Therefore, the explanation is given from ESPN:
The Clippers’ official designation for Leonard’s not playing is “injury/illness, load management (knee),” according to the NBA’s injury report. This is the second time he will sit out a nationally televised game with that designation. The Clippers are in compliance with the NBA and have been in contact with the league in both cases, according to a league spokesperson.
Furthermore, Antetokounmpo contributed 38 points and 16 rebounds (doesn’t it seem like he gets that exact line a lot?). In addition, he went 4-7 from three-point range.
Some degree of credit should be given to the Clippers who refused to go quietly on a night they could have easily been blown out. That being said, imagine being a Clippers’ fan who bought a ticket to this game expecting to see Leonard against Antetokounmpo in a showdown of two of the best players in the NBA.
Obviously, with the Clippers losing games in Leonard’s absence(s); one can expect this issue to go away at least for the moment in the near future.
Still, the take-home message on this one is that your team goes as it’s superstar goes; especially in the NBA. While the Clippers are 5-3 to start the year, these two franchises have a completely different feel to them even in the early start to the season. Somehow, you just know who will be left standing in the end pretty easily.
