Leonard helps Spurs level with Warriors
los angeles — Kawhi Leonard shrugged off the after-effects of a recent concussion to score 31 points as the San Antonio Spurs downed Atlanta to go level with Golden State at the top of the Western Conference on Monday.
Leonard, who had been concussed after a clash with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Victor Oladipo last Thursday, showed no sign of the knock as he led the Spurs to a 107-99 victory over the Hawks.
The win gave San Antonio an identical 52-14 record to Western Conference pace-setters Golden State, who host Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Leonard was backed by an allround scoring display from his Spurs team-mates with David Lee, Danny Green, Patty Mills and Pau Gasol all posting double figure points tallies.
Leonard also chipped in with five rebounds and four assists as the Spurs claimed back-to-back wins following their victory over an under-strength Golden State on Saturday.
For Atlanta, Dennis Schroder led the scoring with 22 points, with Tim Hardaway adding 17 points and Paul Millsap 16.
The Spurs lived dangerously at times however, and gave up a season-high 23 turnovers during an uneven performance.
“All teams make mistakes — nobody plays a perfect game,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “But overall, I was pleased with our defense, given the fact that we turned it over 23 times and still held Atlanta below 100 points.” —