Story By: Sol Tucker
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
After finally picking up two straight victories, it appeared that the Wizards might have something going… that was until the Clippers and old friend Russell Westbrook hit the court tonight.
Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points, James Harden added 25 and the Los Angeles Clippers pulled away with a big third quarter to beat the Wizards 125-109.
There were times in the third quarter where it looked as if the game was all but over when the Clippers pulled to a 26-point lead on several occasions.
The big difference in the second half? The Clippers went on a 40-19 advantage in the third quarter sparked by several careless turnovers by the Wizards.
Harden continue his long-distance shooting when he dialed up from long range, stretching the lead to 20 for the first time with 5:42 left in the period. Later, Leonard showed off his scoring ability off a driving, spinning feed from Russell Westbrook pushed it to 25, and Norman Powell’s basket made it 106-79 at the end of the third.
Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma grabbed a team-high 27 points (11-22 FG, 2-4 3PT), grabbed two rebounds and blocked one shot. Most his effort would come before the half, when this game was basically over.
Washington struggled to get things going without Jordan Poole in the line-up who missed tonight’s game with an illness. He did not suit up or sit on the bench during the game.
After being named to the Rising Stars game for NBA All Star Weekend, Wizards rookie guard/forward Bilal Coulibaly put up another solid effort with 19 points (8-17 FG, 1-4 3PT), four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal in his third-career start.
Los Angeles was 12 of 30 from 3-point range after three straight games hitting under 33%. The Clippers were 12 of 25 before removing their starters.
“It was huge, in that third quarter, just coming out with a defensive mindset,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “For our guys to lock in and give up 25 and 19 (points) in the second and third, I thought it was huge for us. It allowed us to get the lead and it was kind of over after that.”
