A couple of videos popped up on Twitter late Tuesday afternoon and the crowd went wild.

The crowd: Clippers fans congregated virtually on Twitter.

The videos, which came courtesy of The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and ESPN’s Kendra Andrews: Footage of Kawhi Leonard dribbling between his legs and stepping up and into 3-point shots two hours before tipoff at Chase Center.

Leonard appeared to be shooting with more of what Coach Tyronn Lue might call “pop” than he did in October, when he shot around in plain view during the Clippers’ open practice at USC’s Galen Center.

Predictably, Lue said he couldn’t call it anything because “I didn’t see it.” Beyond that, Lue could say only that Leonard – the five-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP – has not been cleared for any contact in his recovery from July 13 surgery to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Kawhi: Then (10/17) and Now . Think that might qualify as “feeling better”? https://t.co/NHG4MVmeKU pic.twitter.com/zXY78XBiK9

— Mirjam Swanson (@MirjamSwanson) March 9, 2022

Still, the sight of the Clippers’ star – who sustained a torn right ACL on June 14, during Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals – served as a thrill for fans eager for good news, especially after Paul George was dribbling and shooting midrange shots with his right hand before practice Saturday.

Premature perhaps, but palpably hopeful, the guys running the Clippers’ fan blog 213 Hoops tweeted: “See you in June, Bucks.”

see you in june, @Bucks https://t.co/rL4xBj45xf

— 213Hoops (@213Hoops) March 9, 2022

God please https://t.co/ObZiDtmw45

— Jamal Cristopher (@JamCristopher) March 9, 2022

Every clippers fan right now after seeing the Kawhi & PG videos pic.twitter.com/a918NqZQBX

— Jesse Beer (@TheJesseBeer) March 9, 2022

LET IT FLY, LUKE

The Clippers brought the league’s most accurate 3-point shooter into Tuesday’s game against Steph Curry, the NBA’s all-time leading 3-point shot-maker, and his Golden State Warriors.

Luke Kennard – runner-up in this season’s 3-point shootout at All-Star weekend – was knocking down his 3s at a 45% clip, tops among NBA players with at least 100 attempts from behind the arc. Through 55 games, the lefty shooter was 48% from the corners, including 50% (16 for 32) from the right corner.

And he was hitting 52.5% – or 120 of 333 – of his “wide-open” attempts, which is to say, he shot with a defender 6 feet or farther away, according to the NBA’s measurements.

But Kennard is 51st in the league in 3-point tries, taking 6.1 per game (fewer than the 6.5 he averaged last season), and he took five or fewer in the Clippers’ previous three games.

It’s worth noting that the Clippers – 34-32 overall to open the night – are 18-11 when Kennard attempts six or more 3-point shots.

Lue said there isn’t a predetermined goal for the number of 3s he wants Kennard to take, but “just take the ones when he’s open.”

And Kennard missed a few too many openings for Lue’s liking in the Clippers’ 116-93 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday, when he went 3 for 5 from deep.

“We got on him for passing up five or six last game where he didn’t pull the trigger when he was open,” Lue said. “So we gotta get him back to shooting the basketball, miss or make, because when he’s on the floor, that’s what he’s out there to do. Just get him back to being aggressive, taking those open shots.”

And Lue isn’t the only one in Kennard’s ear about it.

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Earlier this season, Mark Kennard said he also actively encourages his son to let it fly.

“He hears it from his dad, too!” Mark Kennard said by phone in January. “I tell him that too: ‘You know you need to shoot more! Be like you were at Duke.’”

That’s a reference to Luke Kennard’s 6.6 3-point attempts per-40-minute average in college.

“But I think he’s getting more comfortable,” Mark Kennard added. “Last year he came and he was playing with two of the greatest players ever, with Kawhi and PG, and I think he wanted to fit in. And they told him, those two said they want him shooting too.

“But I think he’s feeling more confident and getting to know his role more and that’s a big part of it.”