The Los Angeles Clippers successfully defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 112-104 on Thursday at the Intuit Dome. Prior to the game, Kawhi Leonard was questionable but ultimately played. Even so, he was on a minutes restriction and watched from the bench as his team nearly choked a 25-point lead, causing him to get nervous, according to Oh No He Didn't.
Kawhi on his minutes restriction:
"I knew I had about 3 minutes left. The whole time I'm like when y'all gonna put me back in the game?" 😂 pic.twitter.com/RVCnqvhBBq
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) January 23, 2026
With three minutes left in the game, Leonard questioned when he would re-enter the game. Leonard has been managing a knee injury. Up to the time he went back into the game, he had played 22 minutes, which was less than the other starters. Leonard did re-enter the game and helped the Clippers stave off the Lakers' comeback.
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Leonard finished with 24 points on 9 of 19 shooting, including 3 of 7 from the triples over 25 total minutes. Additionally, he had five rebounds and four assists. It was his first game back after Leonard missed a few games because of the injury. In his last game, which was against the Washington Wizards, he had 33 points on 9 of 22 shooting.
Leonard was a big reason for the Clippers getting off to a massive 25-point lead in the third quarter. But the Lakers battled back, cutting the deficit to five points with 5:34 left in the game. Eventually, the Clippers buckled down and prevented the Lakers from sustaining the momentum and eventually winning this game.
The Clippers have played well recently and are 8-2 in their past 10 games. The win against the Lakers pulled them to 20-24, and officially put them into 10th place in the Western Conference, which qualifies them for a play-in spot. Leonard will have a few days to rest his knee before the Clippers host the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.