It took a Kawhi Leonard game-winner, but the Los Angeles Clippers survived a battle on Sunday night at the Intuit Dome.
Leonard drained a short jumper at the buzzer to lift the Clippers to a 111-110 win in overtime against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. After a battle the entire way, DeMar DeRozan put the Kings up by a single point with about 20 seconds left in the extra period with a pair of free throws. Leonard, as time was ticking down, started trying to drive to the basket.
Leonard slowly worked Keegan Murray down the lane, made a move and threw up a left-handed shot from the block that fell just in time before the buzzer sounded. It was perfect.
Leonard had 17 points and four rebounds in the win for the Clippers, and shot just 1-of-7 from behind the arc. James Harden came just shy of a triple-double with 29 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 14 rebounds.
The Clippers won the game without head coach Ty Lue, who left the Intuit Dome early on Sunday due to back pain. Further specifics are not yet known, though Lue was with the team for their shootaround and attended his pre-game media session normally before leaving.
Lue is in his fifth season as the Clippers’ head coach. He was hired ahead of the 2020-21 campaign after spending a year on staff as an assistant, and he entered Sunday night with a 218-163 record with the organization.
The Clippers were led by assistant Brian Shaw in Lue’s absence on Sunday night. It’s unclear how long the 47-year-old coach will be sidelined. The team will travel to Louisiana to take on the New Orleans Pelicans next on Tuesday, which is the start of a three-game road trip.
DeRozan led the Kings with 31 points and 10 assists, and Zach LaVine added 30 points. Murray finished with 15 points, and center Jonas Valanciunas had 17 rebounds to go with his nine points. The loss dropped the Kings to 33-30 on the year.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
