It appears that when it rains in Los Angeles, it falls heavily. Kawhi Leonard dominated the Phoenix Suns for the Los Angeles Clippers during their series. During his flawless 2019 season with the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi radiated the same aura as everyone else. Unfortunately, Kawhi Leonard was forced out of Game 3 against the Suns due to an injury. According to Justin Russo, Russell Westbrook discussed Leonard's tragic injury following their defeat.
Russell Westbrook, in response to Kawhi Leonard's injury: "I felt pity for him. Honestly, he was arguably the greatest basketball player in the planet. Mentally, this is the first thing I consider for him. However, it was nice to see him around and interacting with us on the bench."
Paul George was unable to return from his injury in time for the Clippers' series against the Suns, so they were already short-handed. Leonard was their greatest chance of surviving the Phoenix series, as evidenced by the first two games. In his first two games, he was nearly unstoppable, scoring 38 and 31 points with efficiency. He was also guarding Kevin Durant admirably (as admirably as one can defend a player of KD's quality).
Los Angeles came close to surviving their first game without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Norman Powell scored 42 points to carry the offensive burden for the Clippers in Game 3. Westbrook was not far behind: the former MVP scored 30 points with remarkable efficiency. Other than the duo and Bones Hyland's 20 points off the bench, Los Angeles struggled to generate offense.