NBA News: Kawhi Leonard Wins All-Star Duel Vs Paul George as Spurs Win In Indy
The battle between the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers was a delight to watch as both teams' All-Star forwards faced off and didn't disappoint. Both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George's matchup made the contest less like a basketball game and more like a prize fight.
Indiana's Paul George drove hard at the rim on one end and completed a difficult layup in traffic. Kawhi Leonard, on the other end, backed George down, dropping in a textbook turnaround jumper that looked sweet as honey.
Watching this all unfold, from start to finish off a tough and hard-fought 110-106 Spurs victory, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sounded more like a fan than what we typically hear from him. "It's times like this where you have to slap yourself because I'm just watching those two go at each other and do what they do," Popovich said during the post-game interview. "It's so much fun to watch."
Here's just how good Kawhi Leonard was in the Spurs' win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse: According to ExpressNews, George had 27 points, 6 rebounds 3 assists, and was the second-best All-Star in the game. Leonard on the other end erupted for 32 points Monday, which is his fourth straight game scoring at least 30 and 19th overall of the season - plus he added four steals.
Leonard leads the Spurs to one of their most impressive victories of the season in just less than 24 hours after suffering one of their worst losses at of the season at the hands of the New York Knicks. "Anyone could've won it," Popovich said. "We made some key shots down the stretch, and it usually comes down to being able to put the ball in the hoop as long as you play some decent defense to top it off."
According to Yahoo! Sports, the Pacers were actually the club that drafted Leonard in 2011, then shipping him to the Spurs in a pre-arranged deal - partly because they already had Paul George on the roster. Leonard and George might revisit their duel on Sunday in New Orleans during the All-Star game.
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