Kawhi Leonard stars in return as Clippers down Lakers

Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points, Ivica Zubac added 18 points with 19 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers continued their red-hot run with a 112-104 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday at Inglewood, Calif.

James Harden scored 18 points with 10 assists, Jordan Miller had 14 points and John Collins added 13 as the Clippers improved to 14-3 since Dec. 20 in a run that started with a home victory against the Lakers.

The Clippers led by as many as 24 points in the second half and held off a Lakers run to win for the ninth time in their past 10 home games. Harden had seven of 20 turnovers for the Clippers, who took a 2-1 lead in the season series.

Luka Doncic scored 32 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists, while LeBron James added 23 points as the Lakers dropped to 3-6 since Jan. 7. Rui Hachimura scored 12 points for the Lakers, who are 1-1 to start an eight-game road trip.

Doncic delivered his 25th game of at least 30 points on the season.

The Clippers appeared in control until the Lakers closed the third quarter on a 19-7 run to pull within 86-72. Another 19-7 run got the Lakers within 93-91 with 5:56 remaining after a 3-pointer from Doncic.

Harden answered Doncic's 3-pointer with one of his own to start a 10-0 run that put the Clippers up 103-91 with 3:26 left.

The Lakers got within one possession at 105-102 with 1:28 remaining after a three-point play from James before the Clippers put the game away on a dunk from Zubac and a 3-pointer from Collins.

The Clippers shot 47.6% as Leonard returned from a 3-game absence due to a knee bruise, while the Lakers shot 45.5%. The Clippers also had a 55-43 rebounding advantage.

The Clippers took the lead for good with just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter and closed the first half on a 13-5 run to take a 64-47 advantage into halftime.

Leonard scored 14 points in the first half for the Clippers, who shot 58.7% from the floor. Harden had 10 points with eight assists in the half while moving into 20th place on the all-time steals list. Doncic scored 17 for the Lakers, who shot 42.9%.

--Field Level Media