Kawhi Leonard after Game 3 loss: 'We're going to get it right'

Kawhi Leonard hasn't resembled his usual dominant self since returning from his knee inflammation. In the Clippers' back-to-back losses to the Mavericks, the forward is averaging just 12 points and, in a more worrying sign, has failed to impact the game on the defensive side of the ball. 

During Friday's Game 3 loss, Leonard played 24 minutes and attempted only seven shots for nine points. After the game, head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed that his star forward was on a minutes restriction, and the franchise plans to remain extra careful with him for the remainder of the series.

With only 48 hours between Game 3 and Game 4, all signs point to the Mavs taking a commanding 3-1 series lead, especially if Leonard continues to play at less than 100 percent.

Despite the odds against him, Leonard sounded surprisingly optimistic after his team's 101-90 loss on Friday. 

"It was pretty good," Leonard told reporters of his knee inflammation. "First game, it didn't respond the way we wanted it to. And tonight it was either play limited minutes or not play at all. And I wanted to be on the floor to help the team and that's what the results are. Frustrating that it happened to me this late in the season, but we're going to keep going. We're going to get it right."

The last part of that quote — "We're going to get it right" — should serve as music to the ears of Clippers fans. However, their team would need a lot of things to work in their favor to tie the series on Sunday. For one, Paul George, averaging 17 points at 40 percent shooting thus far, needs to up his production significantly. Also, Russell Westbrook can't continue to shoot less than 30 percent from the field.

George and Westbrook's struggles can be attributed to Dallas' stifling defense. In both their wins, the Mavs held the Clippers to under 100 games, a remarkable feat against a team that averaged 115.6 points in the regular season.

The Mavs open Sunday's Game 4 as a -5.5 favorite, per ESPN Bet, and have been given a 59.5 percent chance to take a 3-1 lead, per ESPN Analytics. It would take a herculean effort from Leonard & Co. to return to Los Angeles with the series tied at two wins apiece.