Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 41 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 117-103 win against the Utah Jazz on Friday night and end an 11-game losing streak in Salt Lake City.
Paul George added 20 points, Ivica Zubac had 18 points and 12 rebounds and James Harden finished with 12 points and eight assists for the Clippers, who have won three in a row and eight of 11 to get back over .500 for the first time since early November.
John Collins had 19 points and 13 rebounds, Talen Horton-Tucker scored 16 points off the bench and Keyonte George finished with 15 points for the Jazz, who have dropped four of five.
The Clippers closed the first half with a 13-4 run to take 59-46 lead into the break, their biggest advantage of the game through that point.
The margin reached 15 early in the third quarter, but Keyonte George and Simone Fontecchio sank 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to cut it to 64-57. The margin quickly ballooned back up to 15 and grew to as many as 18 before Los Angeles held an 88-75 advantage entering the fourth.
The Jazz made another run to get within six points on a jumper by Collin Sexton with 6:56 left, but Norman Powell nailed a 3-pointer to spark a 12-0 Los Angeles run.
Leonard hit a running 3-pointer to beat the shot clock and Paul George followed with a 3-pointer on the next trip down the floor to make it 111-93 with 4:50 remaining.
George got a kind bounce on a fadeaway jumper to cap a 10-0 run and give the Clippers an early 15-6 advantage, and Los Angeles never trailed again.
Harden made three free throws and Leonard sank a 3-pointer in a 6-0 run that extended the lead to 52-42 with 1:38 left in the half.
Leonard sank his fourth 3-pointer without a miss in the first half to make it 56-45 with 28.2 seconds remaining, and Terance Mann sank another trey at the buzzer to give Los Angeles a 13-point cushion.
Jazz forward Kelly Olynyk scored 13 points off the bench in his first game back after missing the past two with a shoulder injury. Utah starting guard Jordan Clarkson scored six points after missing the previous three games with a thigh injury.
Jazz leading scorer Lauri Markkanen missed his seventh straight game due to a left hamstring strain.
–Field Level Media