Kawhi Leonard is back in full force, but Nuggets continue to own Clippers

LOS ANGELES — For the past month, Kawhi Leonard’s ability to dictate pace was back. His shooting has picked up. His play-making had garnered notice. The last question about his recovery from a 2021 knee injury, for league insiders, was whether or when his explosion would return.

That box was emphatically checked Friday as Leonard, after dribbling into the paint at a crouch to escape the reach of Denver’s Bones Hyland, planted his left New Balance sneaker outside the restricted area of the paint