James Harden recorded season highs of 28 points and 15 assists and Kawhi Leonard added 27 points as the Los Angeles Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-high six games with a 121-113 victory Thursday over the visiting Golden State Warriors.
Norman Powell scored 21 points and Amir Cofffey added a season-high 18 for the Clippers, while Harden became the 24th player in NBA history to reach the 25,000-point plateau on a driving layup with 4:33 remaining in the third quarter.
Los Angeles won without star Paul George, who missed his first game of the season while officially being listed with left hip soreness. George left Tuesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings with a sore left groin.
Klay Thompson scored a season-high 30 points with eight 3-pointers and Stephen Curry added 17 for the Warriors. Golden State was playing without Draymond Green, who was suspended indefinitely after delivering a blow to the head of the Phoenix Suns’ Jusuf Nurkic in a game Tuesday.
Jonathan Kuminga scored 15 points and Chris Paul added 12 for Golden State, who dropped to 4-12 since Nov. 8 and lost their seventh consecutive game on the road.
The Clippers were in control over the first two quarters, taking a 69-56 lead into halftime by shooting 55 percent from the field. The Warriors began to assert themselves in the third quarter, outscoring the Clippers 37-30 behind 16 points and four 3-pointers from Thompson.
Golden State used a 9-4 run to open the fourth quarter to trail 103-102 with 8:53 remaining after a short jumper in the lane by Paul. A 6-0 run put the Clippers up 109-102 with 5:53 remaining and Los Angeles led 115-107 with 3:10 left on a layup from Powell.
Leonard sealed the victory after an offensive rebound then two free throws with 29.5 seconds remaining for a 119-113 advantage.
Los Angeles earned its second home victory over Golden State in less than two weeks after a 113-112 win on Dec. 2 started their current win streak.
–Field Level Media
