Leonard

Kawhi Leonard has 25 points, but Clippers lose to the Knicks

Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high seven assists, Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and the New York Knicks snapped their four-game losing streak with a 123-111 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night.

Towns bounced back from a quiet game Monday in Detroit, when he took just four shots and had only six points and six turnovers in the Knicks’ 121-90 loss that gave them their longest losing streak of the season. This time, the center had 10 points in the fourth quarter to help the Knicks break open the game.

OG Anunoby added 20 points and Deuce McBride had 16 for the Knicks, who had a 24-7 run starting late in the third quarter and extending into the fourth to turn a four-point deficit into a 105-92 advantage.

Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points for the Clippers (13-23), who lost for just the second time in nine games. James Harden had 23 points and nine assists after sitting out Monday against Golden State because of right shoulder soreness.

The Clippers raced to a 14-5 lead, but the Knicks answered with eight straight points and the game was close for the first three quarters. The Clippers were up 85-81 late in the third before the Knicks finished strong to take a 90-87 edge to the fourth.

Towns then started the period with a three-point play and follow shot, and later had four points in an 8-0 run that pushed a five-point lead to 105-92.

Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, and John Collins added 18 points and four boards.

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Kawhi Leonard scores 24, Steve Kerr is ejected in Clippers’ win over Warriors

Kawhi Leonard had 24 points and 12 rebounds, rookie Kobe Sanders added 20 points, and the Clippers edged the Golden State Warriors 103-102 on Monday night in a wild game that included Warriors coach Steve Kerr getting ejected and Steph Curry fouling out for the first time since 2021.

Kerr was ejected with 7:57 remaining in the game after becoming irate when the Clippers’ John Collins wasn’t called for goaltending. A shouting Kerr pursued the referees along the sideline and had to be restrained by his assistants before getting tossed.

Curry scored 27 points but was just four for 15 from three-point range and nine for 23 overall before fouling out with 42 seconds remaining in the game. He fouled out for the first time since Dec. 17, 2021, at Boston.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr is restrained by guard Gary Payton II and assistant coach Terry Stotts as he argues with a referee.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr is restrained by guard Gary Payton II and assistant coach Terry Stotts as he argues with a referee.

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

James Harden was a late scratch for the Clippers because of right shoulder soreness. But they got double-figure scoring from all five starters, including Sanders, whose points were a career high. Collins added 18 points and Kris Dunn had 16. Ivica Zubac had 11 rebounds.

Jimmy Butler added 24 points for the Warriors, who lost to the Clippers for the eighth straight time on the road.

Curry fouled Dunn with 42 seconds left and the Warriors trailing 101-100 after Curry’s back-to-back three-pointers. Dunn made both free throws before Draymond Green scored in the lane to pull the Warriors within one.

Leonard missed a jumper and the Warriors grabbed the defensive rebound. Butler missed a 16-footer before time expired.

Neither team shot well from three. The Clippers were 10 for 29, while the Warriors were 10 for 41.

The Warriors closed within four early in the fourth before the Clippers outscored them 16-7 to lead 94-81. Leonard scored six and Collins had five.

Golden State ran off nine straight, including seven by Butler, to trail 94-90.

Golden State had won six of eight coming into what was a playoff-like atmosphere that included rapper Snoop Dogg doing commentary for the game streamed on Peacock. It was a matchup of the NBA’s two oldest teams. The average age of the Clippers’ roster is 30.0 to 29.6 for the Warriors.

Green dived for a loose ball and crashed into his team’s bench late in the first half. The team said he sustained a rib contusion, but he remained in the game. Green had 12 assists while going 0 of 6 from three-point range.

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Kawhi Leonard scores 45 points in Clippers’ sixth straight win

Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points, James Harden added 20 and the Clippers recovered from blowing a 21-point lead to beat the Utah Jazz on 118-101 on Thursday night, extending their winning streak to a season-best six games.

Leonard was the only Clippers starter on the floor for much of the fourth quarter. He singlehandedly matched Utah’s points in the period (20), with blood on his nose from what appeared to be a scratch.

The Clippers hit seven straight three-pointers, with Leonard making four, to pull away. Nicolas Batum finished with 14 points and went four for six from three-point range.

The Jazz rallied despite being without three starters. They were led by reserve Kyle Anderson with 22 points — his first 20-point game in nearly three years — and Brice Sensabaugh with 20. Anderson’s eight rebounds were a season high. Cody Williams also had 18 points, while Isaiah Collier had 16 points and 10 assists.

The game was tied six times in the third, when Utah took its first lead of the game.

The Clippers outscored Utah 28-7 to start the game. The Jazz missed their first six shots and had one rebound in the first six minutes.

Utah outscored the Clippers 33-22 in the second — when Leonard scored the Clippers’ first nine points — to trail 53-50 at halftime.

Utah played without Keyonte George (illness), Lauri Markkanen (knee) and Jusuf Nurkic (toe). The Jazz have dropped six of eight.

The Jazz had 58 points in the paint and their bench outscored the Clippers’ reserves 51-40.

Up next for the Clippers: vs. the Boston Celtics at Intuit Dome on Saturday.

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Kawhi Leonard scores 33 as Clippers earn fifth consecutive win

Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points and the Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-best five games Tuesday night with a 131-90 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

James Harden had 21 points while John Collins and rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser each added 16 for the Clippers, who have found a successful formula after not winning more than two consecutive games before their current run of success began.

Leonard’s productive night came after he scored a career-best 55 points in a victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. He has averaged 37.8 points over the past five games.

The Clippers’ win streak started on the same night center Ivica Zubac went down with a left ankle sprain. Zubac has not played in any of the past four games.

Nique Clifford scored 18 points while Maxime Raynaud and Russell Westbrook each had 12 for the Kings, who fell to 3-12 since Nov. 26. Raynaud also grabbed 12 rebounds, but Sacramento lost its fifth consecutive road game.

Westbrook added four assists and a pair of three-pointers against his former team.

The Clippers left little doubt from the start. They led 34-20 after one quarter and were up by 36 in the second before taking a 70-43 advantage into halftime. They shot 57.1% from the floor in the second quarter while scoring 39 points, with Leonard delivering 18 of them.

Leonard had 30 points through three quarters as the Clippers led 100-71 and coasted from there.

The Clippers shot 51.1% from the field overall while posting its largest margin of victory this season. Sacramento shot 41% from the floor.

The Clippers committed just four turnovers while forcing the Kings into 19 that they turned into 28 points.

Up next for the Clippers: vs. the Utah Jazz at Intuit Dome on Thursday.

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Kawhi Leonard scores a career-high 55 points in Clippers’ win

Kawhi Leonard scored a career-high 55 points, James Harden added 28, and the Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 112-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night at Intuit Dome.

Leonard went 17 for 26 from the floor, including five for 10 from three-point range, and made 16 of 17 free throws, his miss in the third quarter ending a streak of 64 straight from the line this month. He scored 26 points in the third quarter.

Leonard tied the team record for points in a game, set by Harden on Nov. 22 at Charlotte, and became the second in franchise history to score at least 40 points in consecutive games at home, joining Bob McAdoo.

Nicolas Batum scored 12 points, while Leonard added 11 rebounds and five steals for the Clippers (10-21), who lost 10 of 11 before this four-game run.

The Clippers, the oldest team in the NBA, took things to the extreme with three starters in Harden, Batum and Brook Lopez age 36 or older. All five starters were in their 30s, with Leonard (34) and Kris Dunn (31) the other two.

Cade Cunningham finished with 27 points for the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons after being held scoreless in the first half while in foul trouble. Jalen Duren had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Jaden Ivey added 11 points for Detroit, which lost back-to-back games for just the second time.

Playing without injured center Ivica Zubac for the third consecutive game, the Clippers were all business from the start. Their first double-digit lead came four minutes into the game at 16-6 on a three-pointer from Harden.

The Clippers led by as many as 20 points in the first half when Leonard scored 25 points. The Pistons pulled within nine points twice in the third quarter before a 16-5 run gave the Clippers another 20-point lead at 81-61 on a Leonard three-pointer.

Up next for the Clippers: vs. the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome on Tuesday.

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Kawhi Leonard scores season-high 41 points in Clippers’ victory

Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 41 points and James Harden added 29 as the Clippers beat the Houston Rockets 128-108 on Tuesday night.

Leonard shot 16 for 23 from the field and four for five from long distance as the Clippers won consecutive games for just the second time this season. The Clippers were coming off a 103-88 win over the Lakers on Saturday that broke a five-game skid. The Clippers also won consecutive games Oct. 24-26, against Phoenix and Portland.

Harden, who shot seven for 14 from the field and three for eight from long distance, was helped by 12-for-13 shooting from the line.

John Collins and Kobe Sanders added 13 points apiece and Kris Dunn scored 11 for the Clippers (8-21), who shot 54% (20 for 37) from three-point range.

Kevin Durant scored 22 points on eight-for-15 shooting, and Alperen Sengun finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for Houston (17-10), which was nine for 30 (30%) from long distance.

Amen Thompson added 19 points for Houston, and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 16 for the Rockets, who have lost four of their last five games.

The Clippers, who trailed by six points after one period, outscored Houston 34-23 in the second and led 63-58 at the break. The Rockets were helped by 10-for-22 shooting from three-point range in the first half. Leonard had 18 points on eight-for-12 shooting in the opening quarters and Harden scored 11.

Durant had 17 first-half points to lead the Rockets. Sengun scored 15 and Smith had 11.

The Clippers led 98-82 after three periods.

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