James Harden scored 29 points and Paul George added 25 as the Los Angeles Clippers ended a two-game losing streak without Kawhi Leonard with a 113-104 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday.
Leonard was out again Tuesday with a left hip contusion as Ivica Zubac contributed 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Clippers, while Russell Westbrook added 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
Harden was 6 of 12 from 3-point range and George was 5 of 11 as Los Angeles went 14 of 34 as a team (41.2 percent). The Hornets went 6 of 29 (20.7 percent) from distance after going 1 of 12 (8.3 percent) in the first half.
Miles Bridges recorded 21 points and 11 rebounds as the Hornets lost their eighth consecutive game. P.J. Washington and Terry Rozier each scored 18 points and Nick Richards added 13 points and 10 rebounds as Charlotte remained winless since Dec. 8.
Charlotte was without Brandon Miller, who sprained his right ankle in Saturday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets. LaMelo Ball missed his 13th consecutive game with an ankle sprain.
The Clippers were slow to take charge despite the Hornets’ first-half shooting woes from deep. Los Angeles led 55-50 at the break after leading by as many as 10 points in the first half.
Again the Clippers pulled in front by double digits at 75-65 with 5:28 remaining in the third quarter after a 3-pointer from George. The Hornets made their charge by going on a 15-7 run from there to trail 82-80 heading into the fourth quarter.
An 11-2 burst to open the final period gave Charlotte a 91-84 lead with 9:29 remaining after a 3-pointer from Rozier.
The Clippers continued the game of second-half runs by going on a 19-2 stretch to take a 103-93 lead with 3:58 left after a putback layup from Zubac off his own miss.
Los Angeles sealed the victory on a 3-pointer from George with 1:26 remaining for a 111-100 lead, its largest advantage of the game.
–Field Level Media