Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points, Bennedict Mathurin added 23 against his former team and the Los Angeles Clippers increased their winning streak to three games with a 130-107 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday at Inglewood, Calif.
Brook Lopez scored 17 points and Derrick Jones Jr. added 12 for the Clippers, who improved to 24-10 since Dec. 20. Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson were traded to Los Angeles on Feb. 5, while Indiana landed Kobe Brown and Ivica Zubac (ankle injury), who has yet to make his Pacers debut.
Darius Garland also scored 12 points with eight assists in his first home game with the Clippers.
Los Angeles led by as many as 23 points in the first half, saw the Pacers creep within 65-59 early in the second half and pulled away in the third quarter to win the first of two matchups between the teams.
Pascal Siakim scored 29 points, Jay Huff had 18 and Jarace Walker added 17 as the Pacers lost their seventh consecutive game and fell to 2-11 since Feb. 2. Siakim (wrist) returned after missing the previous three games.
Aaron Nesmith (ankle) and Andrew Nembhard (back, neck) also returned to action but went a combined 2 of 13 from the floor.
The Clippers were in complete control with a 102-77 lead through three quarters. The final points of the quarter for Los Angeles came on a dunk from Mathurin, who turned to stare at his former teammates on the bench.
Los Angeles shot 55.1%% from the floor to 42.9% for the Pacers. Indiana has allowed at least 125 points in each of its past six games.
The Pacers got off to a fast start by making their first four shots and seven of their first eight before the Clippers turned it on to lead 42-35 after one quarter and 63-51 at halftime. Leonard scored 20 points in the first half for Los Angeles, while Siakam had 21 for Indiana.
The Clippers lost emerging rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser to a right foot injury in the second quarter after he scored six points with four rebounds in eight minutes.
–Field Level Media
