Kawhi Leonard scores 34 points as LA Clippers tie season-high for points, dropping 150 on Washington Wizards
Monday 2 December 2019 08:13, UK
Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points on 14-of-21 shooting to help the Los Angeles Clippers roll to a 150-125 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards.
Paul George recorded 31 points and eight rebounds as Los Angeles won for the eighth time in the past nine games. Montrezl Harrell added 23 points and a career-best 15 rebounds and Lou Williams registered 22 points and eight assists as for the Clippers.
Los Angeles posted a season-best total for points in a half (82) and tied its season-high for a game, falling two points shy of the franchise mark of 152 set against the Toronto Raptors on March 13, 1998.
Rookie Rui Hachimura scored a season-best 30 points and also collected nine rebounds for the Wizards. Bradley Beal recorded 23 points and 11 assists, Davis Bertans matched his career-best of six three-pointers while scoring 20 points and Isaiah Thomas had 16 points for Washington.
The Clippers' previous high point total of this season came in a 150-101 trouncing of the Atlanta Hawks on November 16.
The Wizards trailed by 25 over five minutes into the third quarter before erupting with a 16-4 surge, pulling within 98-85 on a three by Bertans with 4:17 left.
But Williams made two free throws and Jerome Robinson followed with a three-pointer to push the lead back to 18, and Los Angeles eventually took a 116-98 lead into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was a mere formality as the Clippers' starters were pulled after Leonard connected on a 3-pointer to make it 138-107 with 6:23 remaining.
George scored 27 points as the Clippers led 82-57 at the break. The All-Star forward had 15 first-quarter points but Los Angeles led just 39-35 at end of the stanza. It was the second quarter where the Clippers began pulling away but their lead only topped 20 for the first time when Leonard knocked down a jumper to make it 70-49 with 3:56 remaining.
The lead then reached 27 twice in the final minutes of the period as Doc Rivers' team cruised to victory.
Los Angeles shot 55.3 per cent from the field, including 14 of 32 from beyond the arc, while improving to 12-1 at home. For Washington, the defeat marked the 12th straight time they've lost to the Clippers in Los Angeles.
