Spurs’ Dylan Harper matches Kawhi Leonard NBA Playoffs record in 4-1 win vs. Blazers originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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2017 was a long time ago but the San Antonio Spurs have finally made it back to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Victor Wembanyama was obviously the leader of the pack against the Portland Trail Blazers. De’Aaron Fox also put up a clutch masterclass in Game 5. But, there is one person being overlooked and he just got a record that was last touched by Kawhi Leonard — Dylan Harper.
Harper matches Leonard’s NBA Playoffs record as Spurs win over Trail Blazers
Coach Mitch Johnson played Dylan Harper off the bench and he only got to play 26 minutes but those decisions did not go in vain. Harper popped off to lead all bench players between the Spurs and Trail Blazers through his 17 points. His efficiency was also nuts in Game 5. Harper knocked down 67% of his shots from the field, went 100% from three-point range, and had an 80% clip from his shots at the free throw line.
The offensive side of the court was not the only part where Harper did great. Defensively, the Spurs rookie also put up a great defensive effort to contain the Trail Blazers. He grabbed three rebounds and surprisingly slithered past opposing ballhandlers to get three steals. By the end, Harper had a +2 plus-minus in this NBA Playoffs bout.
Through this effort, Harper became the first rookie since Kawhi Leonard with 15+ points and 3+ steals in the NBA Playoffs, per StatMuse. Notably, Leonard had his postseason debut back in 2012. This means that Harper broke a 14-year Spurs record and will be on his way to two-way stardom alongside Victor Wembanyama in the long run.
The Spurs now await the winner between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves to see who they will face in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.