Kawhi Leonard poured in a team-high 23 points across 29 minutes of play, leading the Los Angeles Clippers in a remarkable comeback victory over the Golden State Warriors, 114-101, during Monday night’s matchup in San Francisco.
The Clippers erased a 17-point deficit with contributions from six players reaching double digits in scoring, moving Los Angeles to within 1.5 games of Golden State in the battle for the Western Conference’s eighth seed.
Making his first appearance for the Clippers off the bench, Darius Garland added 12 points in the victory that tightened the playoff race between these two teams.
Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski topped all Warriors scorers with 22 points, with 20 of those coming in the opening half when the home team established a commanding 44-27 advantage.
The Warriors extended their lead to 16 points early in the third quarter following an Al Horford basket, but that proved to be the turning point as Los Angeles seized control for the remainder of the evening.
The Clippers mounted their surge during the third period, with Leonard contributing eight points and Garland adding five during a decisive 35-21 run that brought them within striking distance at 79-77 heading into the final quarter.
Los Angeles maintained their momentum after the break, using their deeper roster to take permanent control when Garland’s mid-range jumper gave them an 82-81 edge. The visitors steadily pulled away against a short-handed Warriors squad that dressed only 10 players, including two recent additions from the G League.
Leonard connected on 9 of 14 field goal attempts while also recording eight rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Clippers, who were completing the second game of consecutive nights.
Kris Dunn provided strong support with 16 points on efficient 7-of-10 shooting plus a team-leading seven assists, helping Los Angeles take a 2-1 advantage in this season’s head-to-head series with one meeting remaining.
The Clippers’ bench depth proved decisive, with four reserves scoring in double figures. Yanic Konan Niederhauser led all players with nine rebounds while contributing 11 points, joining Garland, Bennedict Mathurin’s 17 points, and Jordan Miller’s 12-point effort. Los Angeles’ second unit outproduced Golden State’s reserves 52-41.
Nate Williams paced the Warriors’ bench with 18 points for a Golden State team already missing Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Kristaps Porzingis, and further depleted by the absence of Gary Payton II and Will Richard.
Horford finished with 17 points and Moses Moody contributed 10 for the Warriors, while Gui Santos grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds in the losing effort.
