Kawhi Leonard, surging Clippers crush Timberwolves

INGLEWOOD — This was supposed to be the hard part and perhaps at some point, it will be. But moving above the .500 mark took just one game and another spectacular night from star Kawhi Leonard as the Clippers continue to salvage a season that looked lost not that long ago.

Leonard scored a game-high 45 points as the Clippers won their third consecutive game and their sixth in the past seven on Wednesday night, posting a season-high point total in a 153-126 beatdown of the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Intuit Dome.

Leonard shot 15 for 20 from the field, including 6 for 9 from 3-point range, and had five rebounds and five assists as the Clippers improved to 33-32 and became the first team in NBA history to move above .500 after being 15 games below that mark in the same season.

It was Leonard’s fifth 40-point game this season, joining Bob McAdoo and World B. Free as the only players in franchise history to have at least five such games in a single season.

“I wish I would’ve helped him get a 50-ball, but 45 and the dub is cool, I guess,” point guard Darius Garland said.

Garland, who came to the Clippers in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers last month, has only played five games alongside Leonard, but it’s been long enough for him to appreciate Leonard’s work ethic and approach to the game.

“I became a fan when I went out of the game (tonight). Just to see him just go to work like that is great to see,” Garland said. “I’m just happy we got the same jersey on now instead of being on the opposite side of the ball from him. So, I’m super happy to be able to run the floor with him a little bit. Swing him the ball as much as I can and just watch him go to work.”

Coach Tyronn Lue said the younger, more energetic makeup of the team has upped Leonard’s play over the past 10 games.

“[Assistant coach] Jeremy [Castleberry] always talks about how if you get fast guys around Kawhi, Kawhi gets fast,” Lue said. “So, now he’s running the lanes, attacking early in transition, getting the rebound and pushing. But Darius just brings us that pace.”

Leonard, who is in his 14th NBA season, is enjoying a career year, averaging 27.9 points on 49.8% shooting. Without him, the Clippers (33-32) might not have turned around their season.

Veteran forward Nicolas Batum called the team’s about-turn from a 6-21 start remarkable but cautioned against getting wrapped up in the achievement with 17 regular-season games left.

“It’s just one step, a first step,” Batum said.

The 27-point victory was the latest step in the Clippers’ quest to improve their position among the likely Play-In Tournament participants. They are eighth in the Western Conference standings, one game ahead of ninth-place Golden State but still five games behind seventh-place Phoenix.

“We got room for improvement,” Lue said. “We’re getting better, and this was the style we want to play, taking care of the basketball, hitting the first open guy, movement, cuts. Our guys are picking it up and we’re getting better, so this was a big win for us tonight. And like I said, everybody who played contributed and it was huge.”

The Clippers came out at the start focused on nothing more than stacking another win. They are 27-11 since Dec. 20 and are near-perfect in March, with new additions Garland and Bennedict Mathurin continuing to make an impact.

Garland finished with 21 points and six assists, while Mathurin had 22 points and three assists. Jordan Miller added 14 points and seven assists, while Derrick Jones Jr. contributed 12 points and four steals.

“Their defense is what’s really turned things around here more than anything else,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said of the Clippers’ resurgence.

The Clippers’ defense, led by veteran guard Kris Dunn, helped them open a 16-point lead in the first quarter. Dunn stole the ball three times and Minnesota had seven turnovers in the first 12 minutes and 15 by halftime.

Dunn finished with five points, four steals and two rebounds.

While the defense was wreaking havoc, the Clippers’ offense ran circles around the Timberwolves. Their frenetic passing and Leonard’s ability to convert those passes gave the Clippers their biggest lead (32-16) en route to a 38-27 advantage after one quarter.

Leonard had 18 points in the first quarter and 28 by halftime, not wasting any time posting his 43rd straight game with at least 20 points, the second-longest active streak in the NBA.

The Timberwolves, led by star guard Anthony Edwards (36 points), eventually settled down and went on a 10-1 run to begin the second quarter and pull within 39-36.

But foul trouble put the Clippers in the bonus at the 8:44 mark and they made 16 of 18 free throws the rest of the quarter to push their lead back to double figures before ending the half with a 72-65 advantage.

Edwards finished 11-of-17 shooting (3 for 8 from 3-point range) and went 11 for 12 at the free-throw line for Minnesota, which dropped to sixth in the tightly packed standings but is just a half-game behind the third-place Lakers. The Timberwolves have lost three in a row after winning five straight.