Los Angeles Clippers leaned on a dominant fourth-quarter performance from Kawhi Leonard to secure a 118-101 win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night at Intuit Dome. The victory pushed Los Angeles to 12-21 and extended its winning streak to a season-best six games.
Leonard delivered one of the most complete scoring performances of the season, finishing with 45 points on 16-of-29 shooting. He added seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks while shouldering the offense for long stretches.
The Clippers had to regroup after letting a 21-point first-quarter lead slip away. Utah battled back behind bench production and physical play in the paint, briefly taking control during a tightly contested third period.
Los Angeles opened the game with a 28-7 run, as the Jazz missed their first six shots and managed only one rebound in the opening six minutes. The early surge appeared decisive before Utah stabilized.
Utah closed the first half strong, outscoring the Clippers 33-22 in the second quarter to trail just 53-50 at the break. Leonard scored nine of Los Angeles’ first points in the period to prevent the momentum from fully swinging.
The third quarter featured six ties, including Utah’s first lead of the night. The Jazz leaned heavily on ball movement and interior scoring, finishing with 58 points in the paint.
The fourth quarter belonged entirely to Leonard. He was the only Clippers starter on the floor for much of the final period and scored 20 points, matching Utah’s entire output.
Los Angeles buried the game with seven consecutive three-pointers, four coming from Leonard. Nicolas Batum complemented the run by knocking down four of his six attempts from deep, finishing with 14 points.
James Harden added 20 points and seven assists, providing secondary creation when Utah loaded up on Leonard. The Clippers shot 45 percent from the field and outscored Utah 16-7 over the final stretch.
Utah, which played without Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, and Jusuf Nurkic, was led by Kyle Anderson’s 22 points off the bench. Brice Sensabaugh scored 20, while Cody Williams added 18 and Isaiah Collier posted 16 points and 10 assists.
The Jazz have now lost six of their last eight games and fell back to 12-21. Los Angeles hosts the Boston Celtics on Saturday, while Utah continues its road trip against the Golden State Warriors.
