Tyronn Lue's Message To Kawhi Leonard Amid 7-Turnover Disaster Game 1 vs. Nuggets (2025)

The Los Angeles Clippers came out of Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets feeling good, but acknowledged that they gave the game away. Both Tyronn Lue and Kawhi Leonard expect a much better performance from the team in Game 2.

With the second game scheduled for Monday night, it's a quick turnaround for the two teams in the opening weekend of the postseason.

Tyronn Lue's message to Clippers' Kawhi Leonard amid 7-turnover game vs. Nuggets

James Harden finished Game 1 with a game-high 32 points, six rebounds, and 11 assists for the Clippers while Ivica Zubac added 21 points and 13 rebounds. Kawhi Leonard added 22 points and six rebounds, but committed a playoff career-high seven turnovers.

Nikola Jokic finished with 29 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists for Denver while Aaron Gordon added 25 points, and eight rebounds.

The Clippers held a lead over the Nuggets for 40 minutes and 39 seconds of Game 1, including by as many as 15 points. Denver was able to rally back late in the fourth quarter, forcing overtime and coming out victorious in the extra period.

An incredible defensive game for the Clippers was marred by an obscene 20 turnovers committed on the night.

“We've just got be decisive, get more in attack mode situations and that's it really,” Kawhi Leonard said after the Game 1 loss. “A lot of turnovers, we caused, it's all you can do.

“Just see what we did wrong and try to figure it out. It was the turnovers tonight so we've got to try to limit that and be better next game.”

The Clippers' seven turnovers directly led to 29 points for the Nuggets off those turnovers. Meanwhile, Denver committed only 11 turnovers in the contest, with only nine points scored off those turnovers.

Taking care of the basketball and keeping the Nuggets out of transition were the two focal points for the Clippers in practice last week, and Game 1 saw everything unravel.

Heading into Game 2, Tyronn Lue remains confident in his team, but places a renewed focus on valuing every possession.

“Just [watching] film and kind of just showing what they're trying to do,” Lue said on how the Clippers planned to address the Game 1 turnover problems. “Like we had, I think, 11 was unforced. That's uncharacteristic of us. We just can't throw blind passes and they're picking them off getting layups and dunks in transition when we can't get back and recover, and so our guys understand that.

“With us having 60 points in the paint, if take away like nine of those turnovers and you have 11, at least 5 of those possessions we'd be getting to the paint again and trying to make a play. That was a game we let get away. We understand what we have to do. I thought when we attacked the right way, how we were supposed to offensively, we got everything we wanted. And then when we didn't, they were able to take advantage of it.”

Kawhi Leonard wasn't the only one with turnover issues. Leonard committed seven, Norman Powell committed four, Bogdan Bogdanovic gave away three, while James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Nicolas Batum each had just two giveaways.

“We had 60 points in the paint,” Lue added. “The biggest thing for us is our turnovers, and it's the careless turnovers. Denver's playing, they're blitzing, they're aggressive, they're physical, so you're going to have 10 turnovers because of that. But you can't have 20, especially on the road. A lot of those turnovers were careless and we've just got to do a better job of cleaning that up.”

Kawhi Leonard shot the ball efficiently, finishing with 22 points on 9-of-15 shootin from the field, but it was a careless game by the Clippers star who appeared to prefer seeing how Denver would attack him defensively. From there, Leonard chose whether to attack to score or look to find his teammates.

On a number of possessions, Leonard had good looks at the basket, but deferred to pass to his teammates and ultimately turned the ball over.

Lue wants Leonard to get back to his aggressive self and not letting the Nuggets dictate what the Clippers star does.

“I think the pace [is important],” Lue said. “I think with them mixing up coverages kinda kept him off-balance where he was just trying to feel out what they were doing instead of just attacking and going for his and then making a play off his instincts. He was trying to just ease into it, if they're blitzing or if they're dropping. He wasn't in attack mode, and so just getting him back into an attack mode and not caring what coverage they're in.”

Game 2 between the Clippers and Nuggets is set to tip off on Monday night at 7PM PST on TNT.