Kawhi Leonard says the Denver Nuggets were not 30 points better than the Los Angeles Clippers, though admitted his team could have offered more in Game 7.

Leonard led Los Angeles with 22 points, but that was nowhere near enough as the Clippers suffered a 120-101 defeat in the winner-takes-all decider of the Western Conference first-round playoff series.

He started the second half with a 3-pointer to cut LA’s deficit to 58-50, but the Nuggets never looked back after responding with a 17-0 run in the third quarter. 

"I think we could have given a better effort, for sure. At the time, I don't think this team was 30 points better than this," Leonard said. 

"I mean, we've seen it throughout the first six games of this series. But you've got to give them credit, they came out and fought, ran hard in transition, got easy points, and they made shots." 

The Clippers were the hottest team in the league heading into the NBA Playoffs, winning 18 of their last 21 regular-season games.

However, they lost three of the last four games of this series, a run that proved decisive to their downfall.

It capped a frustrating end to a transitional season, in which the Clippers won 50 games but finished with no reward.

Final. pic.twitter.com/QtNm1LFLbi

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) May 4, 2025

"I guess we just did a good job during the season," he added. "I guess you guys said a lot of people counted us out, but we were able to get here. But that's never the goal to just get in here."

Leonard ended last season with a right-knee injury that continued into this campaign, also keeping him out of the United States' gold-medal winning squad at the Paris Olympic Games.

He still has two years left of a contract extension signed in January 2024 that goes through the 2026-27 season, though his main focus was disappointment after the Nuggets' defeat.

"I'll be able to you know start a training camp and be able to start the season, which would be great, but you know right now this loss is still on my mind," Leonard continued.

"But I am happy that I am healthy coming out of the game, but wish we'd had a better outcome."