Friday 17 January 2020 09:03, UK
Kawhi Leonard said his scoring is creating a positive 'chain reaction' after topping 30 points for the fourth straight game in the LA Clippers' win over the Orlando Magic.
Adept at operating at whatever gear his team needs, Leonard has been in selfish mode of late and the LA Clippers are better for it.
Leonard scored 32 points, Montrezl Harrell had 21 and the Clippers thrashed the Orlando Magic 122-95 on Thursday night.
Leonard also had five rebounds and five assists in his fourth consecutive game with at least 30 points. He was 12-for-20 from the field.
Leonard's adaptive nature is why the Clippers were willing to throw more than $100m his way for the next three seasons. Finding a player that has the ability to be the best in the league at whatever mode he chooses does not come cheap.
"I am just making shots, my team-mates are being aggressive and they are getting me open shots as well," Leonard said. "It is just creating a chain reaction and we are all playing hard on defense. We are able to get out in transition."
"It is not hard for him; it would be hard for me and most other players," Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said. "For him, he is so under control that nothing is going to speed him up. He can go fast when he wants to. We have figured out how to take advantage of that better and it has been great for us."
The Clippers placed seven players in double figures and led by many as 23 in their fourth win in five games. Landry Shamet scored 13 points, and JaMychal Green finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and nine rebounds and Aaron Gordon scored 20 points, but the Magic were unable to keep up with the Clippers while playing in Los Angeles for the second time in two nights. Orlando ended the Lakers nine-game winning streak with a victory on Wednesday night.
Finding the same energy level simply proved too difficult for the Magic.
"Look, you have to have the necessary intensity, purpose, attitude of play, to win any night in this league, especially against a team as good as theirs," Magic head coach Steve Clifford said. "You have to be on it. I thought Aaron Gordon was terrific.
"Our team, our approach and our attitude has been a real strength all year. Tonight it was not."
"We did not execute defensively," said Gordon. "We were scoring with them for a little bit of time but that is not really who we are. We are not going to outscore teams so we have to lock in defensively and we didn't do that."
