Kawhi Leonard went down twice in the third quarter of Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors with left ankle injuries similar to the one he suffered against the Houston Rockets that kept him out of Friday’s game.
Zaza Pachulia slid under Kawhi Leonard’s injured ankle to knock him out of Game 1
This looks like it could have been avoided.
The second came as Leonard landed awkwardly on the outstretched foot of Zaza Pachulia, who was defending him. It looked like a reckless play and was enough to keep Leonard out of the remainder of Game 1.
That sent Leonard to the locker room, where he was ruled out for the game. The Spurs ultimately blew a 25-point lead without Leonard and lost Game 1, 113-111. We’re going to be talking about this play for a long time.
Leonard, for his part, did not think Pachulia’s play was dirty.
Neither does Pachulia.
But it sure looked strange
Pachulia’s foot was planted after Leonard’s release a step in front of him. For some reason, after Leonard fired, Pachulia inched another few feet closer, causing the Spurs’ star to land directly on him.
Leonard was injured enough to leave the game just minutes before, and one more tweak sat him on the bench for good.
Off a made three-pointer, Leonard backpedaled and tripped on his own teammate on the bench the first time he went down earlier in the quarter. He asked to sub out and then came back in a few minutes later.
It was tough to watch him in pain on the ground, but impossible to ignore the bizarre defensive play that seemingly could have been avoided. It swung Game 1 to the Warriors and could spoil the entire series for San Antonio if Leonard cannot return for future games.
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