Kawhi Leonard Leads the Clippers Toward a Historic Feat

Just a few months ago, the Los Angeles Clippers looked like a team destined to think more about the NBA Draft than the playoff race. After a nightmare start with a 5-20 record, the idea of a competitive season seemed far away.

Now, however, Los Angeles has written a new page in NBA history.

With a 153-128 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Clippers completed an unprecedented comeback. According to NBA insider Brett Siegel, they are the first team in league history to climb back above .500 after being at least 15 games below that mark during the same season.

The current record stands at 35-34, a result that, just four months ago, seemed statistically impossible.

Kawhi Leonard dominates: 45 points on unreal efficiency

The night at the Intuit Dome was dominated by Kawhi Leonard, who delivered one of the most efficient performances of his career.

The Clippers’ No. 2 finished with 45 points, shooting 17-of-21 from the field, a display of near-perfect precision from both mid-range and beyond the arc. Minnesota simply had no answer, as Leonard scored almost at will.

After the game, commenting on a brief moment of tension between the teams, Leonard responded with his usual dry humor:

Hey, a fight!

Kawhi Leonard

He quickly brought the focus back to the team’s goals:

Like I keep saying, the job’s not finished

Kawhi Leonard

From lost season to historic comeback

Climbing from 15 games below .500 to a winning record within the same season had never happened before in NBA history.

That’s why the Clippers’ season is taking on increasingly surprising proportions. What once looked like a team completely out of contention is now a squad looking at the standings from a very different perspective.

If the level of play shown against Minnesota continues, the word “comeback” might only be the beginning of the Clippers’ story this season.