HOUSTON — Playing some of the best basketball of his career, Kawhi Leonard delivered again to send his team into the All-Star break on a winning note.
Leonard scored 27 points and his tiebreaking three-point play on a spinning fadeaway jumper with two seconds remaining lifted the Clippers to a 105-102 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
Leonard, who added 12 rebounds and four steals, scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to extend his career-best streak of 20-point games to 33.
The Clippers led by four points when Kevin Durant made one of two free throws before a layup by Alperen Sengun cut the lead to 102-101 with 43 seconds left. Leonard missed a 3-point attempt and Jabari Smith Jr. grabbed a rebound to give Houston the ball.
Sengun made one of two free throws with 7.2 seconds left to tie it, and Leonard got the rebound before the Clippers called a timeout. Leonard then made a fadeaway jumper as he was fouled and hit the free throw to make it 105-102.
Houston’s Tari Eason missed a corner 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
Kris Dunn and Bennedict Mathurin scored 16 points apiece while Brook Lopez had 15 for the Clippers (26-28). John Collins and Derrick Jones Jr. chipped in 12 points each for the visitors, who outscored the Rockets 22-2 in fastbreak points and converted Houston’s 21 turnovers into 23 points.
Durant led the Rockets (33-20) with 21 points and Reed Sheppard (five 3-pointers) added 17 points off the bench. Smith (16 points, 12 rebounds) contributed a double-double while Sengun finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Houston had a two-point lead before the Clippers made five consecutive free throws to make it 98-95 with 2½ minutes remaining.
Durant hit a 3-pointer from the corner a few seconds later to tie it before a pair of free throws by Leonard put the Clippers back on top. A dunk by Collins pushed the lead to 102-98 with about 90 seconds remaining.
The Clippers bridged the final two periods with a 26-6 run that resulted in an 87-80 lead on two Leonard free throws with 8:11 left. The Rockets committed three early turnovers in the period that the Clippers converted into six points.
Houston got going after that, using a 13-4 run, with seven points from Durant, to take a 93-91 lead with 4½ minutes remaining.
Houston led by 13 late in the third quarter before the Clippers went on a 12-0 run to cut the lead to 76-75 with 11 minutes left.
After struggling from 3-point range in Tuesday’s loss to the Rockets, the Clippers shot 4 for 8 in the first quarter of the rematch. The Rockets countered by making 9 of 12 from inside the arc with assists on eight of their 12 field goals in the period en route to a 29-22 lead entering the second quarter.
Sheppard keyed the Rockets’ surge to a 15-point lead in the second, stroking three 3-pointers while tallying 11 points in the first 4:30 of the period. When Durant made a fadeaway jumper with 1:27 left in the half, the Rockets led 56-41, a lead the Clippers shaved to 10 by the intermission.
UP NEXT
The Clippers will host the Denver Nuggets in their first game after the All-Star break on Thursday, Feb. 19.
KAWHI CAPS HIS 19-POINT FINAL QUARTER WITH THE GAME-WINNING AND-1 🚨 https://t.co/RFJUUXilv6 pic.twitter.com/q0D58B1aSM
— NBA (@NBA) February 12, 2026