Kawhi Leonard’s dunk on Giannis Antetokounmpo was an inspirational play for the Toronto Raptors during their 120-102 win in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night, but it had its effects.
Leonard seemed to be limping a bit after coming down from his big dunk, which put Toronto up 67-57 a minute into the third quarter.
Kawhi vs. Giannis at the rim pic.twitter.com/CAyGCTeubI
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) May 22, 2019
This wasn’t the first time in the series that Leonard appeared to be in pain. He also looked hurt after a dunk in Game 3 on Sunday:
Here’s where Kawhi hurt himself! Looks like it happened on the landing. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/jXDw0OVSNS
— Nils Linnenbrügger (@DocNaismith) May 19, 2019
Leonard was asked after that game about whether he was playing injured, and he said that at this time in the playoffs, everybody is playing hurt.
Kawhi, asked about fatigue and the leg injury: "I feel good. I'll keep going and keep fighting. We have a chance to make history."
"I mean it's no excuses. We're playing basketball and we got a win tonight."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 22, 2019
The 27-year-old has been a star throughout the playoffs. He’s averaged 32 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 52 percent from the field. Just don’t expect to hear him complain about what he’s playing through, because he’s not about to tell you.
