Kawhi Leonard, surging Clippers crush struggling Nets
NEW YORK — Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers took care of business against a struggling opponent.
Leonard scored 31 points and the Clippers overwhelmed the Brooklyn Nets, 132-100, on Friday night for their second straight victory and 10th in the past 12 games as they fight to hold on to sixth place in the Western Conference and avoid the Play-In Tournament.
Leonard shot 10 for 14 from the field (5 for 6 from 3-point range) and made all six of his free throws while finishing two points shy of his season high. He also had six rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots in just under 27 minutes before taking a seat for the night late in the third quarter.
Ivica Zubac scored 21 points on 9-for-9 shooting and had 12 rebounds for the Clippers (42-31), who have rebounded from a home home loss to first-place Oklahoma City on Sunday to sweep the New York teams. James Harden added 17 points and six assists in 29 minutes, as they swept their two games with the Nets (23-51) by a combined 91 points. The Clippers rolled to a 59-point home win over Brooklyn on Jan. 15.
Keon Johnson had 13 points for Brooklyn, which has lost six straight and is 1-9 in last 10 and 2-16 in last 18. Cameron Johnson had 11 points, but the Nets’ other three starters, Ziaire Williams, Nic Claxton and D’Angelo Russell, were held to a combined 17 points.
Former Gonzaga standout Drew Timme had 11 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes in his Nets debut after signing a multiyear contract out of the G League on Friday.
Trailing 27-26 after one quarter, the Clippers outscored the Nets 42-21 in the second (with Leonard scoring 19). The Clippers outscored the Nets 25-6 over the final 5:47 of the second quarter, with Leonard capping his big half by hitting a 34-foot 3-pointer with three seconds left for a 68-48 halftime lead.
Leonard hit a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the third quarter, and the Clippers built a 30-point lead when Kris Dunn stole the ball from Williams and coasted in for a layup with just under nine minutes left.
A Zubac dunk padded the cushion to 89-54 lead a little over two minutes later, and the lead reached 40 on another basket by the center with 3:42 left. The Clippers outscored the Nets 37-21 in the third for a 105-69 cushion going into the fourth.
The Clippers shot 55% from the floor and 51.4% (19 for 37) from 3-point range. Patty Mills scored all 14 of his points in the fourth, while Norman Powell finished with 11.
UP NEXT
The Clippers play at Cleveland on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. PT.