Kawhi Leonard had to leave the Clippers Christmas day game against the Denver Nuggets early in the fourth quarter, due to a mouthful he received from Serge Ibaka.

No, it wasn’t Kawhi’s feelings that were hurt; instead, Ibaka delivered an elbow worthy of a big spot in the WWE. Unfortunately, that elbow left Kawhi bleeding heavily and forced him out and needed eight stitches to patch up.

The Los Angeles Clippers line up held on this time around and didn’t blow their 108-97 lead when Leonard left the game with6:07 left. It might not make up for blowing the 3-1 series lead in the second round of last season’s playoffs, but starting the season with back-to-back wins isn’t bad.

LA finished strong to see out the game with a121-108 win over the Nuggets, and Kawhi Leonard will be ok. With their 2-0start in hand, the Clippers now head home to host the Dallas Mavericks (L2),followed by the Timberwolves (W2) and Trail Blazers (L2).

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