Kawhi Leonard returns as Clippers show promise of what can be in win over Hawks

The forward played 19 minutes in his first game since last April.

(Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Food tasted better, water was cooler, and the air was crisper inside Intuit Dome on Saturday night as LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard returned to game action for the first time in 253 days as his club toppled the Atlanta Hawks, 131-105.

Leonard, who got the start as the Clippers moved to 20-15 on the season, finished with 12 points and three rebounds.

“We’re still easing me into the game,” Leonard said postgame. “We’re on nobody’s timetable. Anybody watching that, wants to see me score 20, 30 points, or be aggressive, we are not on no one’s time frame. We know what’s ahead of us and we have to keep building in the right direction.”

The Clippers outscored the Hawks by 22 points in Leonard’s 19 minutes.

“Just see him on the floor and things are going to happen. Just wanted to ease into it, didn’t want to force-feed him,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue relayed to reporters following the win.

“I thought our guys did a good job of just not just sitting around watching him play, and we just continued to play the game,” Lue said. “But you see with his presence on the floor, it makes it a lot easier for everybody else. It was good to have him. Now we just got to continue building off of it.”