If someone told you that the San Antonio Spurs would win Game 5 of their Western Conference Semifinal series against James Harden and the Houston Rockets without Kawhi Leonard down the stretch, you probably wouldn’t believe it.However, that’s exactly what happened on Tuesday night.Sidelined with knee and ankle injuries, the MVP candidate Leonard didn’t take the court during much of the fourth quarter and didn’t step foot on the floor in overtime as his team managed to pull off a 110-107 victory.During the game, it was obvious that Leonard was dealing with some sort of leg ailment, as he walked with a noticeable limp and underwent treatment from trainers on the bench at various points.Midway through the third quarter, he came down from a rebound and landed on the foot of James Harden, injuring his left ankle in the process.He attempted to get back in the game and was eventually pulled with just under five minutes left to go in the fourth quarter and due to his ailments, he didn’t return to action. Despite his struggles after the ankle injury, Leonard still led the Spurs in scoring with 22 points and also led the team in rebounding with 15 boards.While Manu Ginobili surprisingly served as a go-to scorer down the stretch for the Spurs, an unlikely player stepped up on the defensive end, particularly on Harden.

That’s right. Jonathon Simmons, who logged 32 minutes, scoring 12 points along with two rebounds, two assists and three steals in San Antonio’s victory, got the job done on arguably the most deadly offensive player in the NBA.

Whether it was staying in front of Harden, putting a hand in his face or drawing a clutch offensive foul down the stretch, Simmons did his best to mimic his benched teammate Leonard, who happens to be the back-to-back reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

While Ginobili’s heroic block on Harden right before the final overtime buzzer sealed the deal, it was Simmons who locked down on Harden and threw the entire Rockets offense out of whack for much of the overtime period.

After the game, Simmons explained to reporters how he was waiting for this kind of opportunity for his whole life.

It’s hard not to root for a guy like him.

Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday night in Houston with the Spurs leading 3-2. While Leonard’s status is currently up in the air due to his knee and ankle injuries, it seems as though Gregg Popovich is comfortable trotting out Simmons for extended minutes if he needs to.

That might be bad news for Harden, who was harassed by Simmons when it mattered most, causing him to crumble under pressure.