New York Knicks Struggle In 2nd Consecutive Loss On the Road To Los Angeles Clippers, 126-118
The New York Knicks faced off against the Clippers last night in Inglewood, CA, and it was nothing short of entertaining. The Knicks were led by Karl-Anthony Towns, while Kawhi Leonard led his team to victory. With a low-scoring first half, it was evident that defense was a key factor in this cross-conference bout just weeks before the NBA Playoffs are set to begin.
This was a crucial game for the Clippers (32-32) as they are making an effort to move out of the Play-In tournament spots and into a guaranteed top-six playoff position in the Western Conference. They were coming off a five-game stretch in eight days, and were fighting to stay in the standings as they are currently sitting in 9th.
The Knicks (41-25), who are currently in the three spot, were looking to clinch a good seed in the Eastern Conference before the playoffs, following a disappointing loss to the Lakers the night before in a matchup that ended 110-97.
Quarter By Quarter Action
First Quarter Action
The Clippers took an early lead and kept it for the remainder of the first quarter. Tied at 16 with more than 5 minutes to go, Leonard hits a mid-range jumper off a pick and roll screen from Brook Lopez, giving him 7 points. On the next trip down the court, Derrick Jones came back and drained a three.
Jalen Brunson scored or assisted on 20 of the Knicks’ 24 first-quarter points, finishing the quarter with 13 points and 3 assists. The score at the end of the first quarter was 28-24 Clippers, with six 3-pointers made by the Clippers.
Second Quarter Action
The second quarter began with Towns receiving a nice dish from Jose Alvarado for a 3-point play. Mikal Bridges tried to spark the Knicks’ defense with a steal attempt that resulted in a foul, but to no avail as the Knicks turned the ball over for an easy score by the Clippers on the other end.
The first and only lead of the night for the Knicks came at the 10-minute mark, but it was short-lived as the Clippers scored on the next play. After the Clippers came down and scored another 3-pointer, Knicks Head Coach Mike Brown called a timeout with the Knicks down 3.
With 9:06 to go in the second quarter, Nicolas Batum is charged with an off-the-ball foul on Towns, who splits the free throws. Darius Garland was 1-of-4 from the field, but came down and hit a three on his next attempt.
Towns hits a three off an assist from Bridges, then, within two consecutive possessions, Towns misses a lay-up that was heavily contested and appeared to have slightly injured his right knee, but stayed on the court. The Knicks continued to struggle from the field, as they had missed 14 shots from the 3-point line.
Garland hits another three, making the score 47-39. Towns then hits a lay-up on the other end, still favoring his right knee. At that time in the game, he had 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Lopez hits a three with 3:13 left in the second quarter, putting the Clippers up by 9. Towns came back with a three of his own, but Leonard had a mid-range as a rebuttal.
The Knicks struggled with turnovers early, and the Clippers took advantage. The two players with the hot hand at the end of the first half were Towns for the Knicks and Leonard for the Clippers, who both had 21 points. The score at the end of the first half was Knicks 55, Clippers 64.
Third Quarter Action
The third quarter starts with a miss from Brunson, followed by a Clippers miss on the other end. Bridges comes down and scores for the Knicks, as Jones returns fire with a three-point play after a no-look dish from Garland. Josh Hart committed his third foul as Jones split the free throws.
The Knicks continued to struggle with turning the ball over and making out-of-character mistakes. Jones left the game early in the third after taking a shot to the face from Hart, but he did return. The Knicks decided to keep pressure on Leonard in an effort to cool him off.
Leonard stretched the lead to 13 with a three-pointer, forcing Brown to call a timeout with under seven minutes to go in the quarter. LA led 77-64. Brunson notched a steal and turned it into 2 points, with a little over two minutes left in the quarter, bringing the Knicks to within 11.
The Knicks scored on five straight possessions towards the end of the third quarter, all fueled by Brunson as they went on an 8-0 run. run. Even though Brunson seemed to get the Knicks going, the Clippers finished the quarter strong. The score at the end of the third quarter was LA 88-NY 81.
Fourth Quarter Action
The fourth quarter started slowly, with both teams committing fouls and getting to the line, but the Clippers stayed in control. Towns and Leonard continued to add to their totals as both proved to be a problem on their respective offensive ends of the court.
The Knicks have been the better fourth-quarter team this season, but that did not seem to matter to the Clippers. With a little over five minutes left in the game, a block from Towns turned into points for the Knicks on the other end, making the score 106-99, Clippers.
Towns found Anunoby for a corner three to bring the Knicks to within five, but Lopez returned the favor with a three of his own from the top of the arc. With 2:36 to go, Hart cashed in on a three-point play, giving him another double-double for the season and bringing the Clippers lead to just five. The score with 2:03 to go was 112-107 Clippers.
Benedict Mathurin’s three-point play and a three-point dagger by Jones may have sealed the win for the Clippers. Although the Knicks continued to put in effort, they could not overcome the turnovers to come up with the win.
Kawhi Leonard Proves Tough to Handle
Leonard was unstoppable, finishing the first half with 21 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. The Knicks were able to slow him down some in the second half, but he still finished the game with 29 points, 10-of-19 shooting, 2-of-5 from the three-point line, 7-of-7 from the stripe, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals.
Mathurin was Leonard’s co-star, shooting 2-of-5 from the arc, and finishing the game with 28 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 7 rebounds. Garland added 23 points, 7 assists, and 1 rebound. Jones and Lopez also made needed contributions, both finishing with 16 points.
The Clippers finished with 18 made three pointers, and this makes their 3rd win in their last 4 games. Since the trades of Harden and Zubac, the team has struggled to stay above .500. This win is the first time they have been at .500 since November.
Knicks Struggle With Turnovers
The Knicks looked out of sync as they struggled to stay in control of the ball, finishing the game with 20 turnovers. In the first half, the Clippers were able to cash in on 18 points off turnovers and 6 in the second half. The Knicks committed 19 turnovers in the loss to the Lakers the night before.
Knicks Landry Shamet went 3-of-12 from the 3-point line and finished with 9 points. Alvarado went scoreless, and Bridges only contributed 7 points. Anunoby finished the game with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. While Brunson came out with 28 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Towns had the best game of 2026, finishing with another double-double. He ended the game with 35 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and a block.
FAQ Section
Q: What was the final score?
A: 126-118
Q: Who was the MVP of the game?
A: Kawhi Leonard
Q: What was the turning point?
A: The Clippers stayed in control from start to finish
Q: What’s next for each team?
A: The Knicks travel for their fourth of five straight road games to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at 9:00 p.m. EDT. The Clippers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at home tomorrow, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at 10:30 p.m. EDT.
What This Means Moving Forward
With back-to-back losses, the Knicks seem to have entered a struggle to maintain the three seed in the Eastern Conference. They will look to win against the Jazz on Wednesday night to help advance them to the two seed before the playoffs.
Things seem to be looking up for the Clippers as far as their struggles are concerned. With Garland back on the court, tomorrow’s matchup against the three-seed Timberwolves should prove to be an interesting interconference matchup.
