March 2, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Dunn (8) passes Golden State Warriors forward Guy Santos (15) in the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Image Kawhi Leonard squeezed out a game-high 23 points in 29 minutes, five teammates chipped in with double-digit scoring and the Los Angeles Clippers overcame a 17-point deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors 114-101 in San Francisco on Monday night.
Darius Garland, coming off the bench in his Clippers debut, contributed 12 points in the win, which lifted Los Angeles into eighth place in the Western Conference 1 1/2 games behind Golden State.
Brandin Podziemski paced the Warriors with 22 points, 20 of them in the first half, during which the hosts led 56-42.
Al Horford’s layup made it a 16-point game in the first minute of the third period, and the Clippers flipped the switch and dominated the rest of the contest.
Led by Leonard’s eight points and Garland’s five, the Clippers chipped away throughout the third period, led by a 35-21 burst behind Horford’s hoop to make it 79-77 by the end of the period.
The break between periods didn’t change anything, as Los Angeles utilized its superior depth to take an 82-81 lead on a Garland 10-footer. The visitors then gradually withdrew against a Warriors team that had just 10 players, including two players recently called up from the G League.
Leonard shot 9-for-14 and had eight rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Clippers, who played for the second night in a row.
Chris Dunn backed Leonard with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting and seven assists as Los Angeles took a 2-1 lead in the season series with Golden State.
Yanic Konan Niederhauser was the visitors’ leading rebounder with nine points and was also one of four reserves to score in double figures with 11 points, joining Garland, Benedict Maturin (17 points) and Jordan Miller (12 points). The Los Angeles backup team outscored the Golden State team, 52-41.
Nate Williams had 18 points off the bench for the Warriors, who were once again missing Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Kristaps Porzingis, but were also without Gary Payton II and Will Richard on this night.
Al Horford added 17 points and Moses Moody added 10 points for the Warriors, who got a game-high 10 rebounds from Gui Santos.
–Field level media
