Kawhi Leonard dropped a career-high 55 points to tie a Clippers franchise record in a win over the Pistons.
When the Clippers hosted the Lakers on Dec. 20, it was a matchup of two teams representing one city … and of two teams going opposite directions.
The Clippers had stumbled to a 6-21 start, sat 13th in the Western Conference and entered the intra-city matchup on a five-game losing streak. The Lakers, on the other hand, were fourth in the West (19-7) and were seeking a fifth straight win vs. the Clippers.
That night at Intuit Dome, the Clippers scored the game’s first nine points and never looked back, leading by as many as 22 in a 103-88 win.
Leading the charge was Kawhi Leonard, who put up stats that reminded everyone why he’s one of the top two-way players in the world when healthy. Against the Lakers, he had 32 points, 12 rebounds, four 3-pointers, three assists, three steals and two blocks while logging a game-high 42 minutes.
This performance wasn’t an anomaly.
It was the start of something special.
The win over the Lakers was the spark that ignited the Clippers’ turnaround. It ignited a season that appeared to be in shambles through the campaign’s first two months and reestablished the Clippers’ relevance in a crowded West.
Despite Wednesday’s 123-111 loss to the Knicks, the Clippers have gone 7-2 over their past nine games. They have climbed from the cellar of the West into contention for the SoFi Play-In Tournament field, a mere 2 1/2 games behind the 10th-place Memphis Grizzlies.
At the center of this resurgence is Leonard, who has averaged a league-high 33.9 points, along with 7.7 rebounds, four assists and 3.4 3-pointers per game. He’s also shooting 49.8% overall, 37.8% on 3-pointers and 93.5% on free throws in the past nine games.
Clippers’ last nine games
Dec. 20 vs. Lakers: 103-88 W (7-21) | Leonard: 32 PTS
Dec. 23 vs. Rockets: 128-108 W (8-21) | Leonard: 41 PTS
Dec. 26 at Blazers: 119-103 W (9-21) | Leonard: 28 PTS
Dec. 28 vs. Pistons: 112-99 W (10-21) | Leonard: 55 PTS
Dec. 30 vs. Kings: 131-90 W (11-21) | Leonard: 33 PTS
Jan. 1 vs. Jazz: 118-101 W (12-21) | Leonard: 45 PTS
Jan. 3 vs. Celtics: 146-115 L (12-22) | Leonard: 22 PTS
Jan. 5 vs. Warriors: 103-102 W (13-22) | Leonard: 24 PTS
Jan. 7 at Knicks: 123-111 L (13-23) | Leonard: 25 PTS
Leonard followed up his stat-stuffing performance against the Lakers with three 40-plus-point outings during this Clippers revival.
The first came on Dec. 23, as Leonard carved up the Rockets’ then fourth-ranked defense for 41 points on 16-for-23 (69.6%) shooting, adding four 3-pointers, eight rebounds and five assists.
Five nights later, against the East-leading Pistons and their second-ranked defense, Leonard erupted for a career-high and franchise-record-tying 55 points in another two-way masterclass. Leonard scored with incredible efficiency — 17-for-26 from the field, 5-for-10 from 3, and 16-of-17 at the line — while registering five steals and three blocks.
“It was a beautiful thing to see how efficient, how effortless it was,” said James Harden, who now shares that franchise record with Leonard. “It was just so smooth. He got to whatever spot he wanted to, and once you get to that spot, it’s not even about the defender. It’s about him making the shot.
“[I’m] overly happy for him because behind the scenes, you watch somebody and how hard they work. … For him, what he had to battle through just to go out there and be himself was a beautiful thing to see.”
The performance was transcendent as no player had registered at least 40 points, five 3-pointers, five steals, and three blocks in a game since blocks and steals began being tracked in the 1973-74 season.
“We needed it,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “He’s playing at a high level. To have 55 on 26 shots, attacking the basket, attacking the rim, [getting] steals defensively … he willed this win for us.”
COUNT ALL 55 OF THEM THANGS!
& then go vote Kawhi Leonard for #NBAAllStar ⭐️👉 https://t.co/Jv5HNf46DK pic.twitter.com/MBKbIFUwTA
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 29, 2025
That win over Detroit gave the Clippers their 10th victory of the season, but they were still buried in the West standings due to their slow start.
With more work to do, Leonard kept rolling as the Clippers got much-needed wins against West foes. He had 33 points in a win over the Kings to close 2025, 45 more against the Jazz on New Year’s Day and a 24-point, 12-rebound, five-assist performance against Golden State (whom the Clippers are chasing in the Play-In).
“We’re still trying to get better, individually and as a unit,” said Leonard following LA’s win against Utah. “We might not be contenders [right now], but we just got to keep fighting.”
On Wednesday, the Clippers led the Knicks for much of the first three quarters before New York surged in the fourth quarter and won. The Clippers remain in New York to face Brooklyn on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass), looking to close out this 10-game stretch at 8-2, and build on what has become a season-altering surge.
