NBA: Kawhi Leonard nets 23 as Clippers rally from 17 down to beat Warriors

Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 23 points in 29 minutes, while five teammates added double-digit scoring as the Los Angeles Clippers overcame a 17-point deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors 114-101 on Monday in San Francisco.

Making his Clippers debut off the bench, Darius Garland contributed 12 points in the win, which moved Los Angeles within 1½ games of Golden State in the race for eighth place in the Western Conference.

Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 22 points, 20 of them in the first half, as Golden State built a 44-27 lead. An Al Horford layup early in the third quarter gave the Warriors a 16-point advantage before the Clippers rallied.

Leonard scored eight points and Garland added five in a 35-21 run that brought Los Angeles within 79-77 by the end of the third quarter. The Clippers took the lead for good at 82-81 on a Garland 11-foot jumper and gradually pulled away against a Warriors team limited to 10 players, including two recent call-ups from the G League.

Leonard shot 9-for-14 and added eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals in the second night of a back-to-back. Kris Dunn supported Leonard with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting and a team-high seven assists.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser led the Clippers in rebounds with nine and was one of four reserves to score in double figures, alongside Garland, Bennedict Mathurin with 17, and Jordan Miller with 12. Los Angeles’ bench outscored Golden State’s 52-41.

Nate Williams scored 18 points off the bench for the Warriors, who were missing Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III, Kristaps Porzingis, Gary Payton II, and Will Richard. Horford added 17 points, Moses Moody contributed 10, and Gui Santos grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

With the win, the Clippers took a 2-1 lead in the season series against Golden State, with one head-to-head matchup remaining.

—Field Level Media/Reuters