The 2019 NBA Playoffs are heating up!
Every day from now until the end of the postseason, our NBA.com Staff will bring you one top performer following the completion of the playoff games on that day.
You'll be able to see the best performance and three honourable mentions from each day, while also having access to all prior "Player of the Night" files, as we see who can tally the most honours these playoffs.
Today's player of the day is...
Kawhi Leonard
Team's result: Toronto Raptors 107, Orlando Magic 85
Stat line: 34 points (12-20 FG, 2-5 3PT, 8-9 FT), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 2 assists
Leonard bounced back from a miserable Game 3, in which he missed 14 of his 19 shot attempts and committed six turnovers, with a game-high 34 points in Toronto's Game 4 victory.
Leonard also got it done defensively in the 22-point win, blocking two shots and coming up with two steals.
This is the second time Leonard has been named our Player of the Day in these playoffs, the first being after Game 2 when he scored 37 points.
Honourable Mentions
Klay Thompson
Team's result: Golden State Warriors 113, LA Clippers 105
Stat line: 32 points (12-20 FG, 6-9 3PT, 2-2 FT), 1 rebound
Thompson stole the show in the first half of Game 4 with 27 points. He made 10 of his 14 shot attempts through two quarters, including five of his six 3-point attempts.
“When Klay gets going like that, it just fuels the whole bench,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said afterwards.
Thompson cooled off in the second half, but the Warriors still got the win to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round series with the Clippers.
Kevin Durant
Team's result: Golden State Warriors 113, LA Clippers 105
Stat line: 33 points (12-21 FG, 3-6 3PT, 6-6 FT), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal
Whereas the first half of this game belonged to Thompson, the second half belonged to Durant. He scored 14 of his game-high 33 points after halftime to prevent the Clippers from making another comeback.
Durant was the only player on the Warriors to score in double figures in the final two quarters.
CJ McCollum
👌 @CJMcCollum propels the @trailblazers (3-1) to the Game 4 road win with 27 PTS, 5 3PM! #RipCity #NBAPlayoffs
— NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2019
Game 5: Tuesday (4/23), 10:30pm/et, TNT pic.twitter.com/G3Bb5oCWaS
Team's result: Portland Trail Blazers 111, Oklahoma City Thunder 98
Stat line: 27 points (10-20 FG, 5-9 3PT, 2-2 FT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Speaking of strong second halves, it was McCollum who took over down the stretch of Portland's Game 4 win over Oklahoma City.
McCollum scored 13 points in the final frame on 4-for-5 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range to secure the win.
McCollum's backcourt teammate Damian Lillard chipped in with 24 points in the game, but did so on only 7-for-19 shooting from the field.
Previous winners
April 15 - Giannis Antetokounmpo
