Kawhi Leonard scored 19 of his 35 points in the third quarter and James Harden added 32 points and 10 assists as the Los Angeles Clippers continued their hot streak with a 117-109 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday in Inglewood, Calif.
Jordan Miller put up 14 points and Ivica Zubac contributed nine points and 11 rebounds as the Clippers improved to 10-2 since opening the season with a 6-21 record. Leonard delivered his sixth game with at least 30 points over the last 12 contests.
LaMelo Ball produced 25 points and rookie Kon Knueppel added 18 for the Hornets, who were coming off a season-high 150-point game at Golden State on Saturday.
Moussa Diabate amassed 13 points and 15 rebounds and Brandon Miller also had 13 points as the Hornets took their sixth loss in nine games and fell to 1-1 on a five-game road trip. Charlotte gave up 100 points for just the second time in six games.
The Hornets led 100-99 with 7:18 remaining after a 3-pointer from Tre Mann. The Clippers charged in front on three consecutive 3-pointers, one by Miller and the last two by Harden, for a 108-100 advantage with 5:58 left.
A layup from Harden and a dunk from Kobe Sanders gave Los Angeles a 112-101 lead with 4:33 remaining. Leonard extended the decisive run to 15-1 on a jumper with 3:16 to go, giving the hosts a 114-101 lead.
Harden went 3 of 11 from 3-point range and Leonard went 5 of 9 as Los Angeles shot 36.7% (18 of 49) from long distance as a team. Harden moved into ninth place on the all-time scoring list, passing Shaquille O’Neal.
The Clippers took a 45-43 lead after a defensive-minded first half in which both teams shot worse than 40% from the floor. Los Angeles led despite hitting 32.6% over the first two quarters as Harden scored 13 points and Leonard had 11.
