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Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard makes Darius Garland admission after game-winner vs. Pacers
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- Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard makes Darius Garland admission after game-winner vs. Pacers
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After LA Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard 's game-winning shot defeated the Indiana Pacers , 114-113, he revealed that the ball almost went to Darius Garland instead. Garland, who runs towards the ball on the Clippers' inbound before it was passed to Leonard with 3.0 seconds left to play. He drained a mid-range jumpshot over the Pacers' Aaron Nesmith .
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After the win, Leonard said he considered telling the Clippers head coach, Tyronn Lue, to get the ball in Garland's hands, he said, during his walk-off interview .
"We might have to give [ Darius Garland ] the ball. Then I was like, nah, I got it, I got it. I'm trying to be a good teammate," Leonard said. "But I told him I'm a just shoot that s*** as high as I can. And then, ended up shooting it, and it went in."
Garland led the Clippers with 30 points on 10-for-19 shooting, including six threes in Friday's win against the Pacers. Leonard tallied 28 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. Brook Lopez added 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.
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The Clippers have won four consecutive games. With only a 1.5-game lead over the Portland Blazers for the eighth-best record in the Western Conference standings, the Clippers improved to 38-36.
Kawhi Leonard 's strong message about Clippers teammates
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard expressed his appreciation for his teammates after a 129-96 blowout win against the Bucks. After a 6-21 start to the regular season, the Clippers' historic turnaround has them fighting for playoff seeding amid the final stretch of the 2025-26 campaign.
"This group likes to play basketball," Kawhi Leonard said when asked about his leadership style with this new-look Clippers team. "They love to have fun out there and compete. And we're not scared of nobody. Even if they're more talented or the record's better, we still want to go out and compete and try to have pride in playing and being competitive out there."
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The Clippers will face the Bucks on the road on Sunday.
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