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INGLEWOOD — Up until that point, until the final seconds, Kawhi Leonard had missed 12 shots. A dozen chances to avoid the last-second situation the Clippers were in. But when the team needed a basket from their superstar, Leonard came up big.
With less than 20 seconds left, Leonard danced around the key, making his way through defenders before putting up a wobbly attempt with his left hand that bounced off the heel of the rim, then the front before dropping through the basket as time ran out to give the Clippers a 111-110 overtime victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night at the Intuit Dome.
After the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the tense back-and-forth battle, Leonard raised his fist then ran into the crowd of teammates who came on the court to celebrate.
“I was trying to run down the clock to get the last shot,” Leonard said. “B-Shaw (acting head coach) wanted me to shoot the last shot with the time expiring and that’s what was going through my process, trying to get the court organized and was able to do that.”
Leonard, who missed the first 36 games of the season with what the Clippers described as right knee injury recovery, struggled all night to find the basket. He was 6 for 18 from the field before the game-winner and made just one of seven 3-point attempts for 17 points.
Looking at Leonard’s minutes, which had reached 36, and his stat line, Shaw pulled Leonard after two minutes in overtime. But as the game grew tighter, Leonard said he was “just itching” to get back on the court and convinced Shaw to put him back in with 1:59 left.
“Didn’t want to sit,” he said.
Shaw, who was coaching in place of Tyronn Lue, who left the arena before the game because of back pain, didn’t regret the move.
“Kawhi didn’t have it going, but I thought all the shots that he took were good shots, they just didn’t go in,” Shaw said. “So, I played the odds that the next one was going in.”
It proved to be a good bet as the Clippers nailed down their third consecutive victory and improved to 4-6 since the All-Star break.
“I expected that they (Kings) felt like the ball was going to go to James (Harden) and he was going to make the play for us down the end,” Shaw said. “He had been holding us down pretty much all night, but that’s a compliment to him in terms of his selflessness. I think he was confident with Kawhi shooting that shot from his spot.”
Harden, who scored six of his 29 points in overtime, wasn’t surprised at Leonard’s final shot.
“Big-time players make big-time plays. He’s done it throughout his entire career,” Harden said. “He struggled but when the time is needed, he steps up and makes a big time shot. … The confidence don’t change. Because he puts the work in. For him to step up and hit a game-winner shows the confidence and type of player he is.”
Before he left, Lue spoke during his pregame media session about the need to win a third consecutive game, this one against a Western Conference opponent and a team that sat too close for comfort in the standings.
The Kings (35-29) came into the game a half-game behind the Clippers in ninth place in the conference. A victory would give the Clippers a cushion in the standings; a loss would drop them below the Kings and deeper into Play-In Tournament territory.
The Clippers stayed put in the No. 8 spot but winning the game was in doubt until the last second.
The lead changed several times in the final minutes of the overtime period.
Down by one, a Harden jumper put the Clippers ahead 109-108 with 30 seconds left in OT. DeRozan made two free throws for a 110-109 edge, and the Clippers called time out with 22 seconds left to figure out a final play.
Shaw said the anticipated the Kings would look for Harden to attempt the game-winner considering his strong outing. He shot 10 for 19 from the field to go with nine rebounds and 11 assists.
Instead, Leonard got the ball and the victory.
“I think that threw them off,” Shaw said.
Ivica Zubac finished with another double-double, scoring 22 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Derrick Jones Jr., who had two key baskets in overtime, finished with 17 points.
“They’re a big problem,” Kings interim coach Doug Christie said of the Clippers. “James Harden is playing at an incredible level. Zu is an incredible scorer and Kawhi, his legs are coming back to the way they were and that’s scary.”
The teams played twice in November but that was three months ago and much has changed with both squads. Some players are gone, others have arrived. One such player was Zach LaVine, a two-time All-Star who came to the Kings in a trade with the Chicago Bulls.
“We saw him about a month ago, he played for the Bulls, so he’s a great player,” Lue said. “Attacks mid-range, 3-point shot, gets to the basket, gets to the free-throw line. And so, we just got to make sure we’re locked in. No easy shots, make him play.”
LaVine did all that and more, finishing with 30 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field. The UCLA product missed all but one of his 3-point attempts but had seven rebounds and two assists.
DeRozan had a game-high 31 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, while Jonas Valanciunas, filling in for injured center Domantas Sabonis, had nine points and 17 rebounds.
Harden hit a jumper in the lane to tie the score at 97-all with 11.9 seconds remaining in regulation. LaVine missed a jumper from the right side as time expired to force the 5-minute extra session.
The Kings blew a seven-point lead with 1:40 remaining in regulation.
DeRozan and LaVine combined to score all 13 of the Kings’ points in OT.
The Clippers, who again played without leading scorer Norman Powell, shot 10 for 31 from 3-point range, and the Kings shot 9 for 34.
UP NEXT
The Clippers visit New Orleans on Tuesday to open a three-game Eastern trip.
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