Kawhi Leonard Drops 36 as Clippers Edge Warriors with Paul George Out Injured

Kawhi Leonard did it all for the Los Angeles Clippers as the home team held serve against the Golden State Warriors 109-100 on Friday at Staples Center.

Kawhi Leonard Reel V Golden State Warriors

01:32

The two-time NBA Finals MVP dropped 36 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals in a game that was much closer than the score indicated.

Golden State led 83-73 after the third quarter thanks to a strong defensive effort and the Clippers' sloppy play.

However, the Clippers opened the fourth on a 14-2 run and never trailed for the remainder of the game.

Patrick Beverley finished one assist shy of a triple-double with 12 points, 11 boards and nine assists. Lou Williams scored 21 points off the bench.

Glenn Robinson III and Omari Spellman paced the Warriors offense with 17 points apiece.

The Clips were without Paul George, who was out with a left hamstring strain. The Warriors have been sans Stephen Curry (broken left hand) since October and D'Angelo Russell (bruised right shoulder) since Dec. 31. Klay Thompson is out for the entire 2019-20 campaign with a torn ACL.

The 27-12 Clippers won their fourth game in five tries. The 9-31 Warriors lost their seventh straight.

Notable Performances

Clippers F Kawhi Leonard: 36 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals

Clippers G Patrick Beverley: 12 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 blocks

Clippers G Lou Williams: 21 points, 8 assists

Warriors F Glenn Robinson III: 17 points, 4 assists

Warriors F Omari Spellman: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists

Warriors G Alec Burks: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists

Clippers' Excellent Fourth Quarter Erases Otherwise Sluggish Performance

The Clippers may have been missing PG-13, but they weren't expected to have much issue with the Warriors, who came into this game with the Western Conference's worst record.

After all, injuries have rendered the Dubs short-handed and in desperate need of scoring. However, the Clips were dangerously close to losing in a game in which the Warriors largely outplayed L.A.

The Clippers committed 19 turnovers, with Leonard and Montrezl Harrell combining for nine of them. They shot 11-of-39 from three-point range and may have lost if Alec Burks didn't have an uncharacteristically frigid night from the field (3-of-17).

But the Clippers remembered who they were in the fourth. Harrell, who was ice-cold for the first three quarters, scored seven points during this stretch, including an and-1 layup to give L.A. an 87-85 lead.

Eric Paschall tied the game at 87 on the next possession, but LouWill gave the Clippers the lead for good on a three-pointer.

L.A. may have emerged with a win, but it likely won't be too happy with the process en route to the result.

Harrell told reporters after a 140-114 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies last week that the Clippers were not a great team, and he's right (for now at least).

The squad's schedule is full of signature wins in which it looked like the NBA's best team, like its two victories over the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers. It is also filled with puzzling losses, like the Grizzlies defeat, and uninspiring wins like Friday's.

There has to at least be some level of concern for a team that hasn't looked right in its past three games, which include a 135-132 win over the 10-29 New York Knicks.

The good news is that the Clippers are half a season away from the playoffs and have time to figure things out. Leonard and George should hopefully be healthy and playing together every game come mid-April with load-management days behind them.

What's Next?

Both teams will play road games Sunday.

The Clippers will visit the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center at 8 p.m. ET. The Warriors will visit the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum at 6 p.m.