Kawhi Leonard’s return against Lakers marks full circle in Clippers’ imperfect turnaround

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — When the LA Clippers listed small forward Kawhi Leonard as questionable for Thursday night’s home game against the Los Angeles Lakers following three missed games due to a left knee contusion, it did not surprise Lakers head coach JJ Redick.

“We assume everybody’s gonna play against the Lakers,” Redick said. “Backed by statistical data.”

Sure enough, Leonard was out there, resuming his place in the Clippers starting lineup in what would turn out to be a triumphant return, scoring a team-high 24 points in only 25:56 to help the Clippers beat the Lakers 112-104. It was Leonard’s 23rd consecutive game with at least 20 points, the longest streak of his 15-year career. And even though the Clippers lost 24 points of a 26-point third-quarter lead, it was Leonard who assisted on the dagger, rejecting a Kris Dunn screen and avoiding getting tied up by Jarred Vanderbilt to find John Collins for a crucial nearside corner 3.

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“It was good, it was basketball,” Leonard said. “Same thing. Go out there and play. When you’re out there, try to make plays, be aggressive.”

Leonard has been in this spot before for the Clippers against the Lakers this season. In November, Leonard returned from a ten-game absence at Cleveland, two days before the Clippers visited the Lakers. However, Leonard’s return was overshadowed by LeBron James’ return to the Lakers a week earlier — you know, to ramp himself up before the Clippers game. Because everyone is back to play the Clippers, right?

In November, the Clippers were struggling as one of the worst teams in the NBA. The Lakers happily took advantage, with James, Luka Dončić and a healthy Austin Reaves taking turns beating the Clippers into a pulp and emerging with a 135-118 win. On that night, Leonard scored only 19 points in 27:38, limited by a minute restriction due to issues with a right ankle and foot sprains.

Before that game, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue lamented that “next man up” isn’t the same when a $400,000 player is stepping up for a $60 million player. After that game, Leonard said that the Clippers “just got to get the right lineups on the court, I guess. Get some more talent, play with better talent, and see what happens.” The Clippers dropped to 5-13 that night and would ultimately lose 19 of 22 games by the time the Lakers visited the Intuit Dome in December.

While Leonard’s 20-point scoring streak began after the first Lakers meeting this season, the Clippers didn’t start turning things around until the Lakers visited a 6-21 Clippers team last month. That’s when Lue cited that Leonard entered “playoff mode” — because these are essentially playoff games, and the Clippers aren’t good enough to win with anything less than Leonard at full tilt.

Leonard played a season-high 41:53 against the Lakers on Dec. 20, and it was the second time all season he attempted double-digit 3s. That was the game where Leonard played with the requisite effort and “talent” that was required for the Clippers to win games. Even then, the Clippers built a 22-point third-quarter lead only for a Lakers team missing Dončić (left the game after a poor start), Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura to get within 7 points. It didn’t feel like a convincing win last month, even though it commenced a turnaround.

Thursday night wasn’t the most satisfying win either. Leonard had to yell at Ivica Zubac after Marcus Smart got behind both of them for an early basket. James Harden turned the ball over repeatedly, both when the Clippers were dominating the first half and after the Lakers trailed 79-53 with 18 minutes to play. There was a 12-minute stretch where the Lakers benched Ayton and outscored the Clippers 38-14, with Leonard, Harden and Zubac missing all nine of their field goal attempts while Dončić and James combined for 19 points to outscore the Clippers by themselves.

Vanderbilt wreaked havoc defensively along with Smart, similar to how the Lakers erased Jamal Murray after halftime to overcome a 16-point deficit Tuesday night against the Denver Nuggets.

“I had too many turnovers,” said Harden, who made only 6-of-21 field goals while compiling a 10:7 assist-turnover ratio on an 18-point night.

Asked James Harden about problem solving, beating up on initial defensive gameplans, and then surviving successful defensive adjustments

He took accountability for his turnovers. And he mentioned how he saw how Lakers switched up on Jamal Murray in Denver and came back pic.twitter.com/yFeu4kdRD0

— Law Murray 🐐 (@LawMurrayTheNU) January 23, 2026

However, that was still a Lakers team that had every rotation player except for Reaves, and they were down 26 points to a Clippers team led by a flagging Harden and a heavily restricted Leonard. This is a Clippers team that is playing two-way contracts in second-round rookie Kobe Sanders and third-year wing Jordan Miller as the primary reserves, along with two players in forward Nicolas Batum and center Brook Lopez who were drafted in the 2000s.

Asked Kawhi Leonard about Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders continuing to get more comfortable on the floor in the last month (Clippers: league-best 14-3 record last five weeks)

Kawhi: “If you’re in the game, don’t shy away from the moment” pic.twitter.com/6wyD9DHKh7

— Law Murray 🐐 (@LawMurrayTheNU) January 23, 2026

“I’ve been telling them to keep being aggressive,” Leonard said of Miller and Sanders, who combined for 25 points on 7-of-11 field goals while earning 24 minutes each. “I don’t care if you make or miss. Just with me, you’re just going to get better at it. Because if you’re in the game, don’t shy away from the moment. They’re getting open looks. At times, you see them attacking the paint, getting fouls, shooting midrange pullups. They just gotta keep at it. Keep at it, and don’t let nobody discourage them.”

One reason that it was so important for Leonard to get a week off is that the Clippers have had a schedule filled with Eastern Conference opponents. The Lakers were the first Western Conference team the Clippers faced since beating the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 5.

The fact that the Clippers can be upset with not blowing out the Lakers is significant. It suggests that a Clippers team that has won 14 of 17 games still has room for improvement, both in execution and fortifying a roster that trails the vulnerable Warriors by three games in the loss column and the inconsistent Lakers by seven games in the loss column with half of the season to play. Still, Leonard has to get healthier, Harden has to get refreshed, and the Clippers need to stack up wins against Western Conference teams.

“We got to take the next step,” said Lue, who was happy to win but also annoyed at the officiating and his team’s recurring penchant for live-ball turnovers. “We keep getting these leads, and you lose the lead. We gotta be better. We got a team down (17) at half. We gotta step on their throat and blow them out. Like that was our mindset. That was our mindset at halftime. I thought we came out with the right energy, but we couldn’t sustain it. Not just the Lakers, that’s just anybody. If you’re up 20, let’s blow them out. Like, why not? But it is what it is. It’s a good win for us. They’re a good team. And so we’ll take it.”