LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 A rusty Kawhi Leonard had 15 points and seven rebounds in his return for the Los Angeles Clippers, but he couldn't prevent their 96-93 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in their Western Conference first-round playoff series.
The Mavs .
Leonard played 35 minutes in his first game since March 31. He came back after missing three weeks because of right knee inflammation.
鈥淚 felt good,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e still got more games to play and more time to get better. Just keep trying to get a rhythm back.鈥
Leonard wasn't under a minutes restriction; instead, Tyronn Lue gauged how his superstar forward was feeling throughout. Leonard had not participated in any contact practices going into the playoffs.
鈥淭he last couple days I felt great,鈥 he said.
109-97 in Game 1 on Sunday while Leonard watched from the bench.
鈥淚t's great having 鈥2鈥 back out there,鈥 teammate Paul George said, referring to Leonard's jersey number. 鈥淗e's going to find his rhythm and we're going to find out rhythm around him.鈥
He'll have a couple of days to get back into rhythm as Game 3 is Friday night.
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The Associated Press