Kawhi Leonard has been called “The Terminator” once before, and for good reason. The LA Clippers star barely shows any change in his facial expression, whether his team is up 20 or struggling to buy a basket.
It was jarring, then, for fans to see Leonard showing an amused reaction immediately after the Clippers’ blowout victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. What’s even more bizarre is the fact Leonard was laughing at a heated moment between the two teams.
As Kawhi Leonard was dapping up Wolves forward Joe Ingles following the Clippers’ 153-128 win, his eyes turned towards the center of the court inside Intuit Dome. Apparently, teammates of both Leonard and Ingles had gotten into a shoving match that needed several individuals to de-escalate.
Based on multiple reports, Clippers guard Bennedict Mathurin had a disagreement with Timberwolves enforcers Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels. Before long, a number of players, coaches, and officials were on hand to make sure that things would not get out of hand.
While the Timberwolves had to contain two of their own in this melee, there was nothing they could do to curtail Leonard, who scored 45 points on a scintillating 15-for-20 shooting clip. Showcasing his versatility, the former Finals MVP also contributed five rebounds, five assists, two steals.
It was all business for Leonard from buzzer to buzzer. After the final whistle was blown, he appeared to have fun at what was potentially an explosive situation.
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The trigger for the altercation involving Mathurin, Reid, and McDaniels wasn’t clear at first. But Clippers beat writer Joey Linn got the scoop.
” It looked like Bennedict Mathurin was trying to retrieve the game ball,” Linn tweeted after the game. “Sean Pedulla scored his first NBA points, which is likely why Mathurin was after the ball.”
Pedulla, an undrafted guard who’d played for Virginia Tech and Ole Miss, had been signed by the Clippers to a two-way contract late last month. From the looks of it, Mathurin (himself a new arrival in Los Angeles) was trying to uphold the tradition of handing the game ball to a player who’d just scored his first NBA points.
