Leonard scores career-best 55 points to tie Clippers mark
INGLEWOOD—Close to grabbing a franchise record all for himself, Kawhi Leonard elected to take a pass in order to be fresh for another day.
Team-oriented to the core, Leonard was actually a bit selfish by request on Sunday, scoring a career-high 55 points to lift the Los Angeles Clippers to a 112-99 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.
The Clippers are now on a season-best four-game winning streak and a recent scoring burst from Leonard is the primary reason.
Leonard was told by head coach Tyronn Lue he was closing in on the franchise scoring record, but decided to keep his fourth-quarter floor time to a modest six minutes and departed with just under a minute remaining.
He now shares the team mark for points in a game with teammate James Harden.
“Like I told (Lue), I would rather play another game than go out there and risk it,” Leonard said. “Hopefully, we can get another win and be in the same situation. It is what it is.”
Harden teased Leonard afterward that it took him long enough to pull off a 50-point game, while also shouting “double nickels” in the locker room afterward. Leonard is in his 14th season.
“It was a beautiful thing to see how efficient, how effortless it was,” Harden said. “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.
“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.”
Slowed by knee injuries in recent years, Leonard missed 10 games earlier this season with ankle and foot issues. He finally reached 40 minutes in a game during a victory over the Lakers last week that started the winning streak. He did it again in a victory on Friday.
