Several seats down the Spurs bench was Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio’s centerpiece of crunch time. The sixth-year forward, well on his way to superstardom — if he isn’t there already — sat for much of the fourth quarter Sunday night, watching San Antonio hold the Hawks at bay. A rare sight, but an understandable one: Leonard had missed the last two games with gastroenteritis and seemed drained.
Moments after Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. nailed a game-tying triple, Leonard entered the game with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter and momentarily silenced a boisterous Hawks crowd with two free throws.