Clippers Erase 17-Point Deficit, Beat Warriors 114-101 Behind Kawhi Leonard’s Brilliance
Down 17. On the road. Playing the second night of a back-to-back. Against a team fighting for playoff positioning. The Los Angeles Clippers had every excuse to fold Monday night at Chase Center. They didn’t.
Instead, they put together one of the more impressive second-half performances of their season, erasing a double-digit deficit and pulling away from the short-handed Golden State Warriors for a 114-101 victory that felt bigger than the final score suggests.
This one mattered. And the Clippers knew it.
Kawhi Leonard Was Everything the Clippers Needed
There are nights when Kawhi Leonard looks like the best player on the floor. Monday was one of those nights.
Leonard finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, shooting 9-of-14 from the field. He didn’t force anything. He didn’t have to. When the Clippers needed a bucket in the third quarter to keep their momentum alive, Kawhi delivered. When Golden State threatened to claw back, he shut the door.
His two-point driving layup with 5:19 left in the fourth pushed the Clippers’ lead to 102-89. Game over.
It’s worth noting that Leonard had just returned from a sore left ankle that kept him out of Thursday’s loss to Minnesota. He played 28 minutes on a back-to-back and still looked like himself. That’s what separates him from almost everyone else in the league.
A Historic Comeback Fueled by Heart and Grit
The Clippers trailed 42-56 at halftime. Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski had been magnificent in the first half — scoring 20 of his 22 points before the break, hitting eight of his first 12 shots. The Warriors looked in control.
Then the second half happened.
Los Angeles outscored Golden State 40-14 in the paint after halftime. That’s not a misprint. The Clippers attacked relentlessly, using their athleticism and physicality to overwhelm a Warriors team that was already playing without Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III, and Kristaps Porzingis.
The third quarter was the turning point. Darius Garland — making his Clippers debut after being acquired from Cleveland at the trade deadline — hit a three-pointer with 3:09 left in the third to pull Los Angeles within 75-68. Moments later, Kris Dunn stole the ball and laid it in to make it a five-point game. The Clippers were within two heading into the fourth quarter.
The rest was a demolition.
Darius Garland Announces Himself
You don’t always make a big first impression on your new team. Garland wasn’t going to wait around.
The 26-year-old point guard, who hadn’t played since January 14 due to a toe injury, came off the bench and immediately looked comfortable. He finished with 12 points, two assists, and two steals in 22 minutes, hitting clutch shots when the Clippers needed them most.
He took a hit midway through the second quarter — a collision with Moses Moody that left both players shaken — and still came back out and performed. That tells you something about the kid.
Night one in LA? Mission accomplished.
Kris Dunn Was the Unsung Hero
Kawhi gets the headline. Garland gets the debut story. But Kris Dunn was the guy who willed the Clippers back into this game.
Dunn finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists while going 7-of-10 from the field. He was aggressive driving to the basket, made his open threes, and showed up on the defensive end when it counted most. His steal-and-layup sequence late in the third quarter was the spark that ignited what turned into a 37-22 fourth-quarter explosion.
Dunn’s plus-18 rating was the best on the floor for either team.
What This Win Means for the Clippers
The Clippers are now 29-31. That’s not a playoff number — not yet. But this victory was a statement.
They now lead the season series 2-1 over Golden State, heading into a potential Game 82 showdown at Intuit Dome that could decide a tiebreaker. That game could be worth its weight in gold if both teams are scrapping for play-in positioning come April.
More importantly, Los Angeles showed something Monday night. They showed they can compete on the road, fight through adversity, and rely on Kawhi Leonard when the pressure is highest. With Garland now in the mix, the offensive ceiling on this team just got higher.
The Clippers host Indiana on Wednesday. The winning streak — now two games — has a chance to grow.
