Los Angeles Clippers easily handle Washington Wizards with vintage Kawhi Leonard performance

A matchup between 2 teams on opposite ends of the standings went pretty much as expected. Kawhi Leonard dominated as he helped lead the Los Angeles Clippers past the Washington Wizards 125-109 at Capital One Arena.

Kawhi Leonard has been having an amazing season for the Clippers, averaging 23.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 23.7 assists on 53/44/88 shooting splits. He’s making a case to earn his 6th All-Star appearance in a talented Western Conference. Leonard has also stayed relatively healthy this season, as he’s played in 42 out of 46 games for the Clippers.

With no Paul George tonight, Leonard led the way with 31 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block on 56% shooting, a truly dominant performance. James Harden had himself a game too, as he finished with 25 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks. Amir Coffey, who started for the injured George, scored 17 points on 71% shooting.

For the Wizards, off-season acquisition Jordan Poole was a late scratch for tonight’s game. Therefore, Kyle Kuzma led the way with 27 points. Corey Kispert provided a nice spark off the bench, scoring 16 points in his 27 minutes of play. Rookie Bilal Coulibaly had an impressive game as well, finishing with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.

This win improves the Clippers to 31-15, placing them currently at the 4th seed in the Western Conference. After struggling through a rough patch once they acquired James Harden, the Clippers has been on a roll, winning 8 of their last 10 games and proving to be a real title contender. Their next game will be on Friday night as they travel to Detroit to face off against the Pistons.

On the other hand, this loss drops the Wizards to 9-38, which makes them the 14th seed in the Eastern Conference. This season hasn’t gone to plan for the Washington Wizards, and it will be interesting to see if they make moves before the trade deadline, such as possibly trading away Kyle Kuzma. The Wizards next game will be on Friday night when they play against the Miami Heat.