Clippers star Kawhi Leonard nears James Harden, Allen Iverson in history books

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard continued his astonishing scoring streak on Wednesday night, but couldn’t help his side overcome the Oklahoma City Thunder, who won 128-110.

He finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two three-pointers, pushing his streak of consecutive 20-point games to 56, moving one game shy of tying James Harden, Allen Iverson, and Bob McAdoo for the 13th-longest streak in NBA history.

That said, Oklahoma City’s defense limited Leonard’s efficiency, holding him under 50% shooting (8-of-18 from the field and 2-of-4 from the line) and forcing three turnovers.

Over 64 games this season, Leonard is averaging 28.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game, while shooting 50.5% from the field, 38.9% from three, and 89.1% from the free-throw line, with a 63.0% true shooting percentage. He is on pace to play at least 65 games this season, keeping him eligible for All-NBA consideration.

The Clippers fell behind early as Chet Holmgren scored 24 first-half points and went on to score 30 points and grab 14 rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 20 points and 11 assists, while Jalen Williams scored 18 points as the Thunder secured the NBA’s best regular-season record at 64-16. Oklahoma City has won seven straight games and 19 of 20, clinching homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.

Los Angeles, now 41-39, still needs to win at least one of their final two games to extend their streak to 15 consecutive winning seasons. The Clippers, who were without Darius Garland, dealing with a toe injury, will face the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday in a very crucial matchup for the Western Conference’s eighth seed.

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