By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: AP/William Liang
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard was a one-person show for the Clippers. Leonard scored a career-high 55 points to lead the Clippers to a 112-99 win over the Detroit Pistons.
The Clippers are now on a four-game winning streak, the most of the season for a team that has endured trials and tribulations early this season. All four wins have come in double digits.
When Leonard is healthy, he is a monster. We saw the old shades of Leonard on Sunday against the Pistons. He was making shots everywhere. Leonard is an elite player this season. In recent years, he suffered knee injuries, but that didn’t stop him from working his way back. Leonard missed 10 games this season due to ankle and foot injuries. Yet, once again, Leonard finds a way to shut the haters and naysayers up.
Last week against the Los Angeles Lakers, he played 40 minutes, which we haven’t seen in a while. As for this game against the Pistons, Leonard went 17 of 26 from the floor and 16 of 17 from the free-throw line in 39 minutes of playing time.
Leonard accomplished something that hasn’t been done since Bob McAdoo. He’s the second player in franchise history to score at least 40 points in back-to-back home games.
Aside from Leonard, James Harden scored 28 points. Nicolas Batum added 12. Overall, the Clippers shot 47 percent from the field. The Clippers didn’t get much from their bench, but on this night, it wasn’t needed because of Leonard’s historic performance.
The Pistons had three players in double figures. Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 27 points and nine assists. Jalen Duren added 18 points, and Jaden Ivey added 11 off the bench.
The Clippers will take on the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night as they try to extend their winning streak to five games.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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