Leonard and the Clippers struggled all night in Portland.
The Los Angeles Clippers needed Friday night's game more than just about any other this season, and they walked out of Portland's Moda Center empty-handed after a 116-97 loss to the Trail Blazers that could end up defining their entire year.
Kawhi Leonard finished with 24 points and eight rebounds, but even he knew what did the Clippers in.
After the game, Leonard pointed to Portland's ability to attack the basket and get to the free-throw line as the biggest difference.
Portland Made It Easy on Themselves
"They did a great job getting to the paint, drawing fouls, making easy layups," Leonard said after the loss. "And that's how they got going."
He wasn't wrong. Portland's Deni Avdija exploded for 35 points, getting to the rim and the free-throw line all night long while the Clippers struggled to keep anyone in front of them.
Avdija has been averaging 24.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists this season, but this was his best game in weeks and it came at the worst possible time for Los Angeles.
Donovan Clingan added 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Robert Williams III chipped in a double-double of his own with 13 points and 10 boards as the Blazers dominated the glass with a 46-35 rebounding advantage.
The frustrating part for the Clippers is that they fought their way back into it.
After falling behind 55-35 at halftime, they stormed back and actually grabbed an 88-86 lead early in the fourth quarter.
But Portland responded with a 30-13 run to close the game, and Leonard could only watch as the Blazers pulled away.
He is averaging 28.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists on the season, playing some of the best basketball of his career, but it was not enough to overcome what Portland did to them.
A Season on the Brink
The loss drops the Clippers to 41-40 and essentially takes their shot at the eighth seed off the table heading into the final game of the regular season.
Portland is now 41-40 as well but holds the tiebreaker after winning the season series 3-1 against Los Angeles.
If the Blazers beat Sacramento on Sunday, they lock up the eighth seed, and the Clippers fall to ninth, meaning they would need to win two play-in games instead of one to reach the postseason.
It has been a wild ride for this Clippers team that was 6-21 before Christmas and somehow clawed back into the playoff picture behind Leonard's brilliance.
Trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac at the deadline felt like a white flag at the time, but the new-look group built around Leonard, Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin found something down the stretch.
Friday night, though, reminded everyone just how thin the margin is when you are playing from behind all season.
Leonard did everything he could, but Portland wanted it more and played like it from the opening tip.