Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points and Paul George added 29 as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-106 on Friday for their sixth straight win.
Serge Ibaka had 17 points and 11 rebounds to help the Clippers improve to 12-4, tying the Lakers for the NBA’s best record.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 30 points and eight assists against his former team. Lu Dort added 19 points.
Photo: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY
“He was amazing. He had some great moves, great finishes around the basket as always,” teammate Mike Muscala said of Gilgeous-Alexander. “He makes the game easier for everybody on the court.”
The Thunder were in catch-up mode most of the way before dropping their second straight and fourth in five games.
They were just 14 of 42 from three-point range and only got to the free-throw line 13 times.
Photo: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY
“We had a bad start,” Dort said. “We had to talk to each other, pick it up, and play harder.”
The Clippers grabbed control in the first half, scoring 36 points in the first quarter and 34 in the second on 63 percent shooting. They had scoring runs of 21-2 and 11-4 in the first.
They opened the second quarter with a 19-10 spurt, including George’s steal and dunk followed by consecutive three-pointers, for their largest lead of 27 points.
From there, the Thunder put together a 25-15 surge, hitting five three-pointers, to trail 70-53 at halftime.
The Thunder worked to reduce a 23-point deficit to 10 points in the third. They outscored the Clippers 15-2 during one stretch, helped by eight points from Dort and Muscala’s first three-pointer after he missed four attempts in the first half.
However, Leonard quickly put the Clippers ahead 91-75, running off six in a row. Muscala hit another three-pointer that left the Thunder trailing by 13 going into the fourth.
“Teams are going to make runs, regardless of it’s a top team or a young team,” George said. “You got to learn how to win in adversity and learn how to weather the storm. It’s more so about us withstanding that and executing down the stretch.”
76ERS 122, CELTICS 110
Joel Embiid had 38 points and 11 rebounds, while Tobias Harris scored 23 points as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the visiting Boston Celtics.
Seth Curry returned to the Sixers’ starting lineup following a seven-game absence because of a positive COVID-19 test and scored 15 points.
In other games on Friday, it was:
‧ Nuggets 130, Suns 126, OT
‧ Rockets 103, Pistons 102
‧ Pacers 120, Magic 118, OT
‧ Hawks 116, Timberwolves 98
‧ Mavericks 122, Spurs 117
‧ Raptors 101, Heat 81
‧ Bulls 123, Hornets 110
‧ Kings 103, Knicks 94
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