SAN FRANCISCO — The Clippers unleashed their new weapon and rallied for a road win.
Kawhi Leonard had 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and the Clippers erased a 17-point deficit to beat the short-handed Golden State Warriors, 114-101, on Monday night.
Darius Garland scored 12 points (and five turnovers) in his Clippers debut, coming off the bench to play nearly 23 minutes in his first game since being acquired from Cleveland at the trade deadline last month in the deal that sent James Harden to the Cavaliers.
Garland had been nursing a toe injury since mid-January, then he went down with 1:26 left in the second quarter after a collision with the Warriors’ Moses Moody when they both went for a loose ball and Moody’s right shoulder appeared to get Garland in the face. Both players were shaken but stayed in the game.
Garland’s 3-pointer with 3:09 left in the third quarter pulled the Clippers within 75-68, then Kris Dunn had a steal and layup to make it a five-point game. The Clippers were within 79-77 by the start of the fourth period. The Clippers used on a 9-4 surge to open an 88-81 lead.
Dunn finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Clippers, who shot just 9 for 31 from 3-point range but outscored the Warriors 62-36 in the paint. Bennedict Mathurin added 17 points and seven rebounds.
Brandin Podziemski scored 22 points for the Warriors with Steph Curry sidelined for an 11th consecutive game with a right knee injury, big man Kristaps Porzingis out for his fifth straight contest because of an illness Coach Steve Kerr called “mysterious.” Rookie Will Richard was in a walking boot for his sprained right ankle he hurt in Saturday’s blowout loss to the Lakers.
Al Horford added 17 points for Golden State, which has lost five of seven and nine of 14. Podziemski hit eight of his initial 12 shots with three 3-pointers for his second career 20-point half, but he went 1 for 6 for two points after the break.
Golden State shot just 39% from the field overall and went 17 for 48 from 3-point range (35%).
Speaking to reporters on Suday, Garland cited the presence of Leonard as a key reason for his rush to get back on the court.
“When it first happened, I was kind of skeptical,” he told reporters of joining the Clippers. “But I couldn’t turn down this opportunity to play with another Hall of Famer (Leonard) and having a ball in my hands damn near 99% of the time.”
More to come on this story.
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The Clippers host Indiana on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
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