Leonard's scoring binge continues with 31, Clippers rout Kings 119-99 for fifth straight win
LOS ANGELES (AP) Kawhi Leonard sat in the second half of back-to-backs last season. Now he's healthy and highly productive.
Leonard scored 31 points in three quarters, giving him 106 in his last three games, and the Los Angeles Clippers routed the Sacramento Kings 119-99 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victory, the NBA's longest active streak.
“Just being healthy has been good,” said Leonard, who tore his ACL during the 2021 playoffs.
Paul George dived on the floor for a loose ball in the first half and didn’t play in the second because of a sore left groin. Coach Tyronn Lue said George could have returned if needed.
“I didn't like that,” Lue said, noting George's multiple shoulder surgeries. “It just shows you these guys want to win.”
Adding James Harden has given the Clippers another playmaking weapon.
Harden had 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds to help the Clippers sweep a back-to-back for the first time this season. They have won 10 of their last 13 games.
“We're locked in defensively,” Lue said. “That's where it all starts for us. When we're getting stops and getting out in transition we're a hard team to beat.”
Keegan Murray led Sacramento with 17 points and Domantas Sabonis added 15 points and 10 rebounds. De'Aaron Fox had 14 points as Sacramento's two-game winning streak was snapped.
The Kings had won five of seven, including a win against Brooklyn on Monday night, but were overwhelmed by the Clippers from the second quarter on.
“We got our behinds kicked and that’s twice by this team and we had no answers,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “The thing that’s most concerning is sometimes you just got to fight and tonight we didn’t fight. That’s the biggest takeaway from this game.”
The Clippers led 70-48 at halftime, shooting 59% from the floor, hitting eight 3-pointers and making all 10 of their free throws. Ahead by nine, they outscored the Kings 31-11, including 11 in a row - six by Leonard - for a 29-point lead just before the break.
“Kawhi's main thing is just let's play the right way every single night,” Lue said, “and when we're not doing that he's very vocal about it.”
Leonard scored 14 points in the third, reeling off the Clippers' final seven to send them into the fourth leading 99-70. He worked to find his usual spots on the floor and the few times he couldn't, he passed off to his teammates. Leonard made all seven of his free throw attempts and the Clippers hit 20 of 21.
Terance Mann the only LA starter on the floor in the fourth. Norman Powell led the bench with 15 points.
UP NEXT
Kings: Host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday to open a six-game homestand.
Clippers: Host the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | Domantas Sabonis vs. Ivica Zubac (James Harden gains possession) | |||
11:33 | +3 | Terance Mann makes three point stepback jump shot (James Harden assists) | 0-3 | |
11:19 | Kevin Huerter misses three point jump shot | |||
11:17 | Ivica Zubac defensive rebound | |||
10:52 | Terance Mann misses three point jump shot | |||
10:50 | Keegan Murray defensive rebound | |||
10:44 | Keegan Murray misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
10:42 | Paul George defensive rebound | |||
10:37 | Domantas Sabonis personal foul (Kawhi Leonard draws the foul) | |||
10:30 | +3 | Paul George makes three point jump shot (James Harden assists) | 0-6 | |
10:12 | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point jump shot (Kevin Huerter assists) | 2-6 | |
9:54 | Paul George misses three point jump shot | |||
9:50 | Kevin Huerter defensive rebound | |||
9:43 | +2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point driving layup | 4-6 | |
9:37 | Paul George turnover (bad pass) (Keegan Murray steals) | |||
9:30 | +3 | Kevin Huerter makes three point running pullup jump shot (Keegan Murray assists) | 7-6 | |
9:15 | De'Aaron Fox shooting foul (James Harden draws the foul) | |||
9:15 | +1 | James Harden makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 7-7 | |
9:15 | +1 | James Harden makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-8 | |
8:57 | Domantas Sabonis turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | |||
8:44 | James Harden turnover (bad pass) (Domantas Sabonis steals) | |||
8:44 | James Harden shooting foul (Keegan Murray draws the foul) | |||
8:44 | +1 | Keegan Murray makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 8-8 | |
8:44 | +1 | Keegan Murray makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 9-8 | |
8:27 | Terance Mann misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
8:25 | Kevin Huerter defensive rebound | |||
8:17 | +2 | Keegan Murray makes two point reverse layup (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 11-8 | |
8:02 | +2 | James Harden makes two point driving layup | 11-10 | |
7:52 | Domantas Sabonis misses three point jump shot | |||
7:49 | Terance Mann defensive rebound | |||
7:38 | Ivica Zubac misses two point floating jump shot | |||
7:38 | Kings defensive rebound | |||
7:33 | De'Aaron Fox turnover (bad pass) (James Harden steals) | |||
7:23 | Paul George misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
7:20 | De'Aaron Fox defensive rebound | |||
7:17 | De'Aaron Fox turnover (bad pass) (James Harden steals) | |||
7:14 | +2 | James Harden makes two point driving layup | 11-12 | |
7:03 | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point driving hook shot | 13-12 | |
6:37 | +3 | Terance Mann makes three point jump shot (Paul George assists) | 13-15 | |
6:25 | De'Aaron Fox misses two point driving layup | |||
6:22 | Paul George defensive rebound | |||
6:17 | Paul George turnover (lost ball) (Kevin Huerter steals) | |||
6:09 | Harrison Barnes misses three point jump shot | |||
6:06 | James Harden defensive rebound | |||
6:03 | +2 | Kawhi Leonard makes two point running layup (James Harden assists) | 13-17 | |
5:38 | +3 | De'Aaron Fox makes three point jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 16-17 | |
5:37 | Clippers 60 second timeout | |||
5:16 | Kawhi Leonard misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
5:15 | Russell Westbrook offensive rebound | |||
5:11 | Domantas Sabonis shooting foul (Terance Mann draws the foul) | |||
5:11 | +1 | Terance Mann makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 16-18 | |
5:11 | +1 | Terance Mann makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 16-19 | |
4:55 | Keegan Murray misses two point floating jump shot | |||
4:52 | Ivica Zubac defensive rebound | |||
4:37 | +2 | Paul George makes two point driving floating jump shot (Russell Westbrook assists) | 16-21 | |
4:37 | Malik Monk shooting foul (Paul George draws the foul) | |||
4:37 | +1 | Paul George makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 16-22 | |
4:23 | Malik Monk misses two point driving layup | |||
4:21 | Paul George defensive rebound | |||
4:12 | Paul George misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
4:10 | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | |||
4:03 | Malik Monk misses three point jump shot | |||
4:01 | Ivica Zubac defensive rebound | |||
3:52 | +2 | Kawhi Leonard makes two point pullup jump shot | 16-24 | |
3:31 | Jump ball. Paul George vs. Keon Ellis (Ivica Zubac gains possession) | |||
3:36 | Keon Ellis turnover (lost ball) (Paul George steals) | |||
3:26 | Russell Westbrook turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
3:04 | Trey Lyles misses three point jump shot | |||
2:59 | Russell Westbrook defensive rebound | |||
2:55 | Kobe Brown misses three point running jump shot | |||
2:53 | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | |||
2:47 | Kobe Brown blocks Domantas Sabonis's two point layup | |||
2:47 | Kings offensive rebound | |||
2:47 | Kings 60 second timeout | |||
2:38 | +3 | De'Aaron Fox makes three point pullup jump shot | 19-24 | |
2:15 | +3 | Norman Powell makes three point jump shot (Kawhi Leonard assists) | 19-27 | |
2:02 | +2 | Keegan Murray makes two point cutting layup (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 21-27 | |
1:44 | +3 | Kawhi Leonard makes three point pullup jump shot | 21-30 | |
1:21 | +3 | De'Aaron Fox makes three point jump shot (Malik Monk assists) | 24-30 | |
0:56 | +2 | Daniel Theis makes two point cutting dunk (Kawhi Leonard assists) | 24-32 | |
0:32 | De'Aaron Fox misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
0:30 | Russell Westbrook defensive rebound | |||
0:09 | Daniel Theis misses two point jump shot | |||
0:06 | Keegan Murray defensive rebound | |||
0:00 | Keegan Murray misses three point jump shot | |||
0:00 | Kings offensive rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11:46 | +2 | JaVale McGee makes two point alley-oop dunk (Malik Monk assists) | 26-32 | |
11:30 | +2 | Norman Powell makes two point driving layup | 26-34 | |
11:30 | JaVale McGee defensive goaltending violation | |||
11:22 | JaVale McGee offensive foul (Norman Powell draws the foul) | |||
11:22 | JaVale McGee turnover (offensive foul) | |||
11:14 | Malik Monk shooting foul (Norman Powell draws the foul) | |||
11:14 | Kings 60 second timeout | |||
11:14 | +1 | Norman Powell makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 26-35 | |
11:14 | +1 | Norman Powell makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 26-36 | |
11:14 | +1 | Norman Powell makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 26-37 | |
11:02 | +2 | JaVale McGee makes two point alley-oop layup (Malik Monk assists) | 28-37 | |
10:40 | Daniel Theis misses two point floating jump shot | |||
10:38 | Russell Westbrook offensive rebound | |||
10:38 | +2 | Russell Westbrook makes two point tip dunk | 28-39 | |
10:32 | +2 | Sasha Vezenkov makes two point cutting layup (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 30-39 | |
10:19 | +2 | Russell Westbrook makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 30-41 | |
10:10 | De'Aaron Fox misses two point driving layup | |||
10:07 | Russell Westbrook defensive rebound | |||
9:51 | De'Aaron Fox personal foul (James Harden draws the foul) | |||
9:34 | +3 | Kobe Brown makes three point jump shot (Norman Powell assists) | 30-44 | |
9:28 | Malik Monk turnover (traveling) | |||
9:17 | +2 | James Harden makes two point driving layup | 30-46 | |
9:07 | De'Aaron Fox misses two point driving layup | |||
9:07 | JaVale McGee offensive rebound | |||
9:07 | +2 | JaVale McGee makes two point tip dunk | 32-46 | |
9:07 | James Harden shooting foul (JaVale McGee draws the foul) | |||
9:07 | JaVale McGee misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
9:05 | Kobe Brown defensive rebound | |||
8:54 | +2 | Daniel Theis makes two point cutting dunk (James Harden assists) | 32-48 | |
8:43 | De'Aaron Fox turnover (bad pass) (Daniel Theis steals) | |||
8:40 | Malik Monk personal foul (Russell Westbrook draws the foul) | |||
8:29 | +2 | James Harden makes two point driving finger roll layup | 32-50 | |
8:16 | Trey Lyles misses three point jump shot | |||
8:14 | Domantas Sabonis offensive rebound | |||
8:13 | Kevin Huerter misses three point jump shot | |||
8:09 | Trey Lyles offensive rebound | |||
8:09 | Kobe Brown shooting foul (Trey Lyles draws the foul) | |||
8:09 | Trey Lyles misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
8:09 | Kings offensive rebound | |||
8:09 | +1 | Trey Lyles makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-50 | |
7:49 | Daniel Theis misses two point floating jump shot | |||
7:48 | Daniel Theis offensive rebound | |||
7:46 | +2 | Daniel Theis makes two point putback layup | 33-52 | |
7:40 | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point driving layup (Davion Mitchell assists) | 35-52 | |
7:40 | Daniel Theis defensive goaltending violation | |||
7:28 | James Harden misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
7:26 | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | |||
7:19 | De'Aaron Fox misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | |||
7:17 | Domantas Sabonis offensive rebound | |||
7:16 | Daniel Theis shooting foul (Domantas Sabonis draws the foul) | |||
7:16 | Domantas Sabonis misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
7:16 | Kings offensive rebound | |||
7:16 | +1 | Domantas Sabonis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 36-52 | |
7:07 | Kevin Huerter personal foul (Norman Powell draws the foul) | |||
6:55 | +2 | Kawhi Leonard makes two point driving floating jump shot | 36-54 | |
6:47 | Norman Powell shooting foul (Keegan Murray draws the foul) | |||
6:47 | +1 | Keegan Murray makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 37-54 | |
6:47 | Keegan Murray misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
6:45 | Paul George defensive rebound | |||
6:22 | +2 | Kawhi Leonard makes two point pullup jump shot | 37-56 | |
6:08 | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point driving layup (Kevin Huerter assists) | 39-56 | |
5:55 | James Harden misses three point jump shot | |||
5:53 | Keegan Murray defensive rebound | |||
5:47 | Kevin Huerter misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
5:43 | Norman Powell defensive rebound | |||
5:38 | +3 | Norman Powell makes three point running pullup jump shot | 39-59 | |
5:28 | Kevin Huerter misses two point floating jump shot | |||
5:26 | James Harden defensive rebound | |||
5:19 | Kawhi Leonard misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
5:17 | Kevin Huerter defensive rebound | |||
5:11 | Kevin Huerter misses two point driving layup | |||
5:08 | Domantas Sabonis offensive rebound | |||
5:06 | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point hook shot | 41-59 | |
4:50 | Trey Lyles shooting foul (Kawhi Leonard draws the foul) | |||
4:50 | +1 | < |