Kawhi Leonard left Game 1 of the Warriors-Spurs series with an ankle injury, but the San Antonio forward defended the play that aggravated the injury.
Leonard said Warriors center Zaza Pachulia wasn’t dirty after closing out on a jump shot Leonard had already taken.Â
Kawhi Leonard on Zaza Pachulia: “Did he step under it? Like on purpose? No, he was contesting the shot. The shot clock was coming down.”
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) May 14, 2017
Leonard, who was already dealing with an ankle injury, landed awkwardly after Pachulia’s foot was in the way, causing Leonard to grab his ankle in pain. He did not return and the Spurs blew a 25-point lead to lose 113-111.
There was debate whether Pachulia went under the shot on purpose.
There’s no convincing me Zaza Pachulia wasn’t trying to injure Kawhi Leonard. Dirty play. pic.twitter.com/O2vn3SSfKd
— Dan Molloy (@DanMolloyTV) May 14, 2017
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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