Kawhi Leonard couldn’t have drawn up a better return. Monday night marked Leonard’s first game back after sitting out with a sprained ankle. He last played on November 21st against the Utah Jazz.
The five-time All-Star had 16 points, including an 18-foot jumper with 1.4 seconds to lift the Los Angeles Clippers to a 119-117 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
‘I don’t think anybody loves playing this game more than me,’ Leonard said. ‘It gives me joy when I’m able to play. And it was great that I was able to make that shot.’
Paul George also came back from a strained hamstring to score 19 points along with seven assists, helping the Clippers snap a two-game losing streak. Reggie Jackson and Nic Batum each had 13 points, and John Wall added 12 points and 12 assists.
LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) brings the ball up court on a fast break against Hornets
Luke Kennard added nine points off the bench in his first game back from an injury as well.
Charlotte’s Kelly Oubre scored 28 points and P.J. Washington added 26 after going 0 for 13 on Saturday night. Washington missed a fadeaway jumper as time expired that would have tied the game.
Getting Leonard, George and Kennard back should provide a huge boost for the Clippers (14-11). Leonard has been out since Nov. 21, George since Nov. 19 and Kennard since Nov. 15 with a calf strain.
George said it’s ‘super important’ getting everyone healthy again, and that it felt like the start of a new season.
‘This is really a great opportunity to kind of get back on track,’ George said. ‘We were playing well when we were healthy and now we can start building toward the team we were trying to be.’
The win didn’t come easily.
Leonard #2 shoots the ball while guarded by Jalen McDaniels #6 of the Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets (7-17) outscored the Clippers 26-8 to start the third quarter behind eight points from Terry Rozier to take an 80-71 lead.
The Clippers tied it up when George saved an offensive rebound from going out of bounds by flicking the ball to Leonard under the basket for an easy basket.
‘We’ve got to get that rebound,’ Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. ‘It’s the second game this year, you make one play and they’ve got to foul, we’re up two. That’s the biggest play.’
After Jalen McDaniels missed a 3 at the other end, the Clippers found Leonard for an isolation play on the right side of the court.
He made a ball fake to freeze McDaniels, then dribbled once and stepped back to his left to drain the shot before exchanging a high-five with George and a flying chest bump with Marcus Morris Sr..
‘My teammates trusted me,’ Leonard said. ‘I was able to get in my spot and my team gave me space. I was able to knock down a shot.’
Marcus Morris Sr. #8 celebrates with Leonard after Leonard hits the game winning shot
ROCKETS 132, 76ERS 123, 2 OT
Jalen Green scored 27 points and Kevin Porter Jr. added 24 to lead Houston over Philadelphia as James Harden struggled through his return from injury.
Harden had 21 points but shot 4 for 19 from the field in his first game since Nov. 2. Coach Doc Rivers said Harden, who spent just more than eight seasons with the Rockets before being traded to Brooklyn in January 2021, would be on a minutes restriction in his return. But Harden didn’t seem to be limited much, and played 39 minutes.
He had missed 14 games with a tendon strain in his right foot. He missed all eight attempts inside the 3-point arc but still got to the line like he always does and made 9 of 10 free throws.
Joel Embiid had 39 points before fouling out late in the first overtime and Tobias Harris added 27 as the Sixers dropped their third straight.
Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green (4) shoots the ball as Philadelphia 76ers P.J. Tucker (17) defends
CELTICS 116, RAPTORS 110
Jayson Tatum had 31 points and 12 rebounds, Jaylen Brown scored 22 points and Boston won for the seventh time in eight games, beating Toronto.
Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart scored 18 points for Boston after sitting out Sunday’s win at Brooklyn because of a bruised left hip.
Blake Griffin scored 13 points and Luke Kornet had 11 for the Celtics, who own the NBA’s best record at 20-5. Boston is 16-2 since starting the season 4-3.
Pascal Siakam scored 29 points, Scottie Barnes had 21 and Gary Trent Jr. 20, but Toronto lost for the first time in four home games. The Raptors are 9-3 north of the border this season.
Jayson Tatum #0 of the Celtics puts up a shot over Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors
MAVERICKS 130, SUNS 111
Luka Doncic scored 33 points, Spencer Dinwiddie added 21 and Dallas preserved a big lead against Phoenix this time.
The Mavericks remained in control after a 28-8 run covering most of the last 10 minutes of the first quarter while ending a 10-game, regular-season losing streak against the Western Conference-leading Suns.
Dallas squandered a 22-point lead in the second half of a 107-105 loss at Phoenix in the season opener between teams that met in the West semifinals last season. Dallas won that series last spring with a Game 7 rout on the Suns’ home court.
Deandre Ayton scored 20 points for the Suns, who couldn’t recover from a 15-point first quarter, their lowest total in any quarter this season, as they finished a Texas back-to-back after a blowout victory in San Antonio.
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) evades Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges (25)
BUCKS 109, MAGIC 102
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored five of his 34 points in the final two minutes to help Milwaukee hold off a late Orlando rally.
Bobby Portis added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, and Jrue Holiday added 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Franz Wagner led Orlando with 25 points. Markelle Fultz and Paolo Banchero added 20 points apiece. Banchero also had 12 rebounds for the Magic, who lost their ninth straight.
Antetokounmpo, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Holiday hit 3-pointers on a 16-0 Milwaukee run midway through the first half while Orlando went scoreless for 5 1/2 minutes. The spurt left the Bucks with an 11-point lead that they stretched to 15 midway through the period.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dunks the ball against Orlando
GRIZZLIES 101, HEAT 93
Tyus Jones had a career-high 28 points and 10 assists to lead short-handed Memphis over Miami.
Santi Aldama added 18 points and Dillon Brooks finished with 17 for Memphis, which played without leading scorer Ja Morant and several other key players.
Tyler Herro led the Heat with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Jimmy Butler, who had only one field goal in the first half, scored 18, and Caleb Martin finished with 16 for the Heat.
Both teams entered the game having won four of their previous five games, and that included a Memphis win over Detroit on Sunday. But playing the second night of a back-to-back meant several Grizzlies, in addition to Morant, were unavailable. Three of the five most recent starters — Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and John Konchar — were out, leaving a load of minutes for reserves and two-way players.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones (21) brings the ball up court against the Miami Heat
THUNDER 121, HAWKS 114
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Josh Giddey had 12 of his 17 points in the final period, and Oklahoma City overcame a 14-point deficit in the third quarter to beat Atlanta.
Dejounte Murray finished with 24 points and Trae Young had 23 points and 10 assists for the Hawks (13-11), who have squandered six double-digit leads this season. They began the night tied for second-most in the NBA in that category.
In winning its third straight, Oklahoma City (11-13) has outscored its last three opponents 106-68 in the fourth. The Thunder trailed 88-84 entering the final period.
Giddey’s three-point play early in the fourth made it 91-90 for the Thunder’s first lead since late in the first. They never trailed again as Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s third-leading scorer, kept hitting free throws down the stretch. He scored 12 points in the fourth and finished 15 for 15 from the foul line.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots against the Atlanta Hawks
INDIANA 112, WARRIORS 104
Rookie guard Andrew Nembhard had an career high scoring 31 points and 13 assists to carry the Pacers to a win over the Warriors in Golden State.
Buddy Heild was the Pacers next leading scorer with 17 points as the team was also without point guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole both put up their best efforts scoring over 20, but it was not enough to sustain a victory.
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Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) moves the ball while defended by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry
