Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points Saturday night to lead seven players in double figures for the surging Los Angeles Clippers, who took control late in the second quarter and pulled away to beat the visiting New York Knicks 144-122.
Paul George had 25 points while James Harden (10 points, 12 assists) and Ivica Zubac (13 points, 11 rebounds) each had double-doubles for the Clippers, who have won seven straight after an 8-10 start.
Norman Powell contributed 16 points, Terance Mann scored 13 and Russell Westbrook 10.
Jalen Brunson, one night after his historic 50-point outburst in a 139-122 win over the Phoenix Suns, had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Knicks, who have lost four of six. Julius Randle also scored 22 points while Isaiah Hartenstein added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
RJ Barrett and Donte DiVincenzo each scored 18 points.
The Knicks led once in the first quarter at 5-4 and the Clippers opened up an eight-point lead before Randle ended the period on a 6-0 run to pull New York within 35-33.
Hartenstein and Immanuel Quickley hit back-to-back layups to tie the score at 37-37 with 10:44 left before the teams began trading runs. The Clippers mounted a 13-6 surge and Brunson then scored the final nine points in an 18-7 run that gave New York a 61-57 lead with 3:37 left.
The Clippers began taking control by scoring the next 10 points to spark a quarter-ending 20-5 run. Mann scored eight points in the run while Harden had six points, including the 3-pointer that gave Los Angeles the lead for good at 64-61.
The Clippers led by at least 10 throughout the third quarter and opened their first 20-point lead at 102-82 on Leonard’s 3-pointer with 4:53 left in the third. Los Angeles led by as many as 32 in the fourth, when the Knicks’ starters exited around the midway point.
–Field Level Media
