Clippers finally get Kawhi Leonard back, crush Hawks
Norman Powell scored 20 points and Ivica Zubac added 18 points to go along with 18 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers celebrated the season debut of Kawhi Leonard with a 131-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Inglewood, California, on Saturday, January 4 (Sunday, January 5, Manila time).
Amir Coffey scored 17 points, while Leonard had 12 on 4-of-11 shooting in 19 minutes of court time after missing the first 34 games of the season due to a right knee injury. Terance Mann (finger) also returned to action after missing the past 11 games and scored 12 points in 16 minutes.
Los Angeles took control early, leading by as many as 27 points in the first half before improving to 12-2 at home since November 4.
Trae Young scored 20 points and dished out 14 assists, while De’Andre Hunter added 18 points as the Hawks lost for the second consecutive night in the Los Angeles area following a 119-102 setback against the Lakers on Friday.
Garrison Mathews scored 15 points and Zaccharie Risacher added 13 for Atlanta, which lost its third consecutive game.
The Hawks’ Jalen Johnson (shoulder) did not play for the second time in the past three games, while Bogdan Bogdanovic (leg) was out for the sixth time in seven games.
Leonard made his first shot of the season, a three-pointer from the left wing just over two minutes into the game.
After leading 29-28 through one quarter, the Clippers used a 27-4 run in the second quarter to build a 63-39 advantage. Los Angeles was up 74-54 at halftime after shooting 54.5% from the floor while forcing 13 Atlanta turnovers.
The Clippers led 98-76 after three quarters, with Mann scoring his first 5 points of the game in the third. The Hawks never seriously threatened in the final quarter.
Los Angeles shot 55.2% from the floor for the game and had a season-high 36 assists. James Harden had 15 of those helpers to go along with 10 points.
Atlanta shot 43.2% overall and finished with 23 turnovers. – Rappler.com