Leonard Scores 31, Leads Clippers to Fifth Straight Victory
The Clippers move to 13-10 following a resounding win over the Kings.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — It’s hard to argue that there’s been a better player in basketball over this last week than Kawhi Leonard.
The two-time Finals MVP has been a wrecking ball, and Tuesday night in Los Angeles was no different as he paced the LA Clippers (13-10) to their fifth straight win and moved them to a season-best three games over .500 thanks to a 119-99 victory over the Sacramento Kings (13-9).
In doing so, the Clippers have guaranteed themselves at least a split of the season series against the Kings.
Leonard, who had combined for 75 points over his last two outings — wins over the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers — poured home 31 points on a hyper-efficient 11-for-14 shooting. Leonard also added four rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal in his 31 minutes.
The veteran forward was able to play at the pace he prefers, punishing Sacramento’s second-year forward Keegan Murray seemingly all night. Murray, who has been a positive defender for the Kings this season, stood no chance. Leonard bulldozed his way to the rim, got to his sweet spots in the mid-range, and found his way to the line seven times.
When asked postgame what Leonard’s early dominance in games has done for the team, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue postgame said that it gives them “confidence.”
Lue continued: “The biggest thing is just making sure we play the right way and making sure that when guys are open, we’re making the right pass. Taking care of the basketball has been a thing of ours coming into this.”
Over their five-game winning streak, which is the longest active streak in the NBA at this moment, the Clippers have averaged 12.4 turnovers and shot 50 percent from the field overall.
“I think Kawhi has done a good job with just talking to the guys, understanding what we need every single night on both sides of the basketball, and he’s going out producing on both sides of the basketball as well,” Lue remarked. “But he’s been a lot more vocal, in this last stretch, in this run, he’s been a lot more vocal making sure the guys were locked into what we’re trying to do.”
Over the last three games, Leonard has scored 106 points in 108 minutes on a blistering 64.3 percent shooting (36-for-56) while also making all 23 of his free throw attempts.
Guard James Harden got off to a strong start in this one as he attacked the basket five times in the first half en route to four baskets and a trip to the charity stripe. Harden finished the night with 15 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in 28 minutes.
More impressively, Harden was engaged on the defensive end to start this game, including netting two steals and causing another turnover by swiping the ball off of Kings center Domantas Sabonis to earn the Clippers another possession.
After falling behind by three early in the first quarter, the Clippers blitzed Sacramento to take an 8-point lead into the second. They then outscored the Kings by 14 in the second to sport a 22-point cushion at the half. The game never got under 20 after that.
The only blemish of the night came when Paul George was ruled out at halftime due to a sore left groin. George scored nine points while also having six rebounds, one assist, and two steals in 16 minutes prior to his injury. Norman Powell took George’s starting spot coming out of halftime.
Lue was unable to give up an update postgame on George’s status going forward, but did answer in the affirimative when asked if George could have gone back in the game rather than sit out the second half.
Powell had 15 points, two assists, and a rebound in 27 minutes.
Terance Mann appears to potentially be finding his long-ball after connecting on two of his three tries on Tuesday. Mann has made five of his 12 long-range efforts over the last three games. The forward finished with 10 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
“I’m just gonna keep shooting,” Mann said postgame about his 3-point shot. “It’s gonna go in.”
Russell Westbrook played 20 minutes off the bench on Tuesday, finishing with eight points, seven rebounds, and three assists while making four of his eight field goal attempts. Westbrook’s energy was palpable during a second-quarter spurt that pushed the Clippers into a 16-point lead.
Centers Ivica Zubac and Daniel Theis registered highlight poster dunks in the win. Zubac tallied six points and nine rebounds while Theis put up eight points and three boards.
The Clippers shot 52.4 percent in the game and made 11 of their 29 triple tries. They also finished with 62 points in the paint, marking the first time they’ve had back-to-back games with at least 60 points in the paint since April 8 and April 9, 2023.
Keegan Murray led Sacramento with 17 points while Domantas Sabonis finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Clippers held superstar guard De'Aaron Fox to just 14 points on 5-for-16 shooting en route to the Kings connecting on 41.9 percent of their shots overall.
The team’s attention now turns to a Thursday meeting with the Golden State Warriors (10-13), who may or may not have the services of forward Draymond Green after he was ejected on Tuesday night after hitting Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkic in the face. The Clippers and Warriors have split the first two meetings this season, with each team winning on their home floor.