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Kawhi Leonard scored 14 points with seven rebounds as he returned for the first time in 16 months in the Los Angeles Clippers’ thrilling 103-97 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
Leonard, who missed all of last season after sustaining an ACL injury in the 2021 playoffs, played 21 minutes off the bench, shooting six-of-12 from the field, including a crucial two-pointer with under two minutes left at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers had hit the lead in the last quarter after LeBron James’ block on Paul George set up Lonnie Walker IV’s jam, but the Clippers were clutch down the stretch to extend their winning streak over their rivals to eight games.
The Clippers’ current eight-game winning run over the Lakers is the second-longest in franchise history, behind 11 from 2014 to 2016.
James, in his 20th season in the NBA, scored 20 points with 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks, while Anthony Davis was exceptional with 25 points including two triples and eight rebounds.
But the three-point issues that plagued the Lakers last season reared their head again, going at 20 per cent from beyond the arc as a team. The Lakers’ two-game three-point percentage of 22 per cent this season is the worst by any team through two games in NBA history (minimum 60 attempts).
Russell Westbrook was a major culprit, managing only two points in 27 minutes, shooting none-of-11 from the field and none-of-six from beyond the arc.
Giannis in top form as Bucks open with 76ers win
The Philadelphia 76ers lost for the second straight game to open the season after James Harden missed a floater off the glass on their last offensive play in a 90-88 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The 76ers were booed by their fans at Wells Fargo Center in the third quarter, before rallying with a 13-0 run in the fourth, led by Harden who had eight points during that span, finishing with 31 for the game, along with eight rebounds and nine rebounds.
But Harden, who went one-for-seven from three-point range, missed his late chance straight after Wesley Matthews’ triple as the Bucks won their season opener.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was in MVP form, having 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks in the first half, finishing with 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists with three blocks. Joel Embiid was kept scoreless in the second half, to have only 15 points with 12 rebounds for the game.
