Clippers ride Kawhi Leonard's triple-double to win over Lakers

Field Level Media|published: Wed 24th January, 24:36 2024

Jan 23, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) is defended by Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. credits: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points as part of his second career triple-double and as the Los Angeles Clippers extended their winning streak to three games with a 127-116 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

Leonard added 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and teammate James Harden contributed 23 points and 10 assists.

Paul George, Terance Mann and Norman Powell each scored 17 points and Russell Westbrook had 16 points as the Clippers won for the sixth time in seven games and improved to 20-4 since the start of December. One of those defeats was to the Lakers on Jan. 7.

Harden has scored at least 20 points in back-to-back games for the third time since making his debut with the Clippers on Nov. 6 and the first time since Dec. 2 and Dec. 6.

Leonard's only other triple-double came on Jan. 24, 2020, when he had 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Clippers won at Miami.

D'Angelo Russell produced 27 points and 10 assists and Anthony Davis paired 26 points with 12 rebounds for the Lakers, who were without LeBron James (left ankle soreness). The Lakers are just 5-6 in a stretch in which they are playing 11 of 12 games at Los Angeles.

Jarred Vanderbilt and Austin Reaves each scored 12 points and Taurean Prince and Rui Hachimura added 11 apiece for the Lakers, who are 8-14 since winning the NBA in-season tournament in early December.

The Clippers led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter and were up 108-97 heading into the final period. The Lakers pulled within two points twice, including 110-108 with 7:32 remaining after Russell blocked Harden on one end and Prince made a fastbreak layup.

The Clippers took control with a 9-0 scoring burst, fueled by five points from Powell, to take a 119-108 lead with 5:06 remaining and cruised to the victory from there.

The Lakers lost Cam Reddish early in the fourth quarter when he turned his right ankle after stepping on Harden's foot.

The Clippers are set to start a seven-game road trip on Friday at Toronto. The Lakers will face the Chicago Bulls at home on Thursday before starting a six-game road trip on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.

—Field Level Media