Kawhi Leonard Looking Forward to Facing Kevin Durant Ahead of Clippers vs. Suns

• On Sunday, all eyes will be on Kevin Durant vs. Kawhi Leonard when the LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns face off in the playoffs
• Leonard has lauded Durant's versatility, saying it will take a team effort to slow him down
• Durant and Leonard last faced each other in the playoffs in 2019

The Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns face each other in a mouth-watering first-round matchup of the playoffs.

Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard has lauded Suns veteran Kevin Durant, a player he will likely guard the most in the series.

The two stars last faced each other in the playoffs in the 2019 NBA Finals. Still, the two barely faced each other due to Durant's injury.

Leonard went on to lead the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA title. This time around, one of them will be eliminated in the first round. The Clippers will be without injured All-Star Paul George for Game 1 on Sunday, 16th April.

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Therefore, Leonard will likely carry most of the offense and defense, especially on Durant. Russell Westbrook will be expected to step up in George's absence, per the Athletic.

Leonard lauds Durant

Speaking ahead of Game 1, Leonard praised Durant's talent, saying it is going to take the entire team to slow him down, per Clutchpoints.

“I mean, he’s a great player, Leonard said. These are the fun parts of it. Just going out there, getting to compete against a guy like him that’s been doing it year after year. Yeah, everybody is going to have to take the challenge, not just me. It is a team sport.”

The 31-year-old described why Durant can be unstoppable due to his versatility on offense.

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“Him making the shots, that’s what it’s about. How he gets to his spots, shooting over guys, [both] hands throughout his whole career, and it’s very impressive. Like I said, year after year, he’s doing it, and he’s doing it at a high percentage. Yeah, both ways, left, right, shooting over everybody.”

Durant has played just eight games with the Suns (8-0). In those eight games, he averaged 26.0 points and 6.4 rebounds.

In 47 total NBA games for the Suns and the Brooklyn Nets, the two-time NBA champion averaged 29.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and five assists. He shot incredibly well too. He went 56% from the floor, 40.4% from three, and 91.9 from the free throw line.

Leonard's career has been plagued by injuries in the last few seasons. In 52 games this season, he registered 23.8 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.

Can Leonard stop Durant and company?

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Clippers vs. Suns preview

Sports Brief earlier previewed the tasty Clippers vs. Suns first-round playoff matchup.

The Suns and the Clippers tied their regular season series at two games apiece. Phoenix won the first two meetings by an average of 16.5 points.

The Clippers finally recorded their first win against the Suns on February 16, pulling off a 116-107 victory.

They evened the season series on April 9, with LA recording a 119-114 win. The Clippers had a tough time in that contest despite the Suns resting their stars, with Durant not seeing action in those two Phoenix losses.