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The Los Angeles Clippers won back-to-back games against the Dallas Mavericks for their their fourth win in a row and 14th in their last 17. That would be the headliner if it wasn't for a number of individual feats accomplished by James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and — most importantly — Kawhi Leonard.
The win also put the Clippers one step closer to their goal of a top-six seed with just one week remaining in the NBA's regular season.
Kawhi Leonard reacts to playing first back to back since March 2024
The Clippers defeated the Mavericks on Saturday night, 135-104, for their second win against Dallas in as many nights. The game marked a significant stepping stone for Kawhi Leonard, who played in both halves of the back-to-back set.
Leonard played 23 minutes and 44 seconds in the first night's win and then 25 minutes and 20 seconds in the second night's win over the Mavs.
According to head coach Tyronn Lue, Leonard had been pushing the team's medical staff to allow him to play in back-to-back sets for quite some time.
“He’s been wanting to do it, and we just wanted to make sure it was right,” Lue said Saturday. “[The] medical [staff] wanted to make sure they checked every box and make sure we put him in the best position. We didn’t want to risk anything. Kawhi’s been trying to do it for some time now, playing in back-to-backs, but our medical staff was really cautious and making sure that everything was right.”
After meeting with the staff on Saturday morning, Leonard suited up, scored 29 points on an ultra-efficient 12-of-19 shooting from the field, and helped his Clippers to another win despite facing a minutes restriction.
“It was just about listening to [the medical staff], about their scenarios and how they calculate things,” Kawhi Leonard said about the decision to play. “And then me just listening, not trying to be a super hero. I'm just trying to stay healthy, really. That's my number one goal, like I've always said, for this year. It's coming out of this year healthy.”
“The confidence is always there when I step on the floor and everything has been going well. We had discussions, we all thought it was a good time to play.”
James Harden recorded a double-double with 29 points, 14 assists, and seven rebounds in 31 minutes of play. It was the 19th game of Harden's career where he finished with at least 29 points, 14 assists, and seven rebounds, which is the third-most in NBA history such games behind only Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.
Sharing the floor with Leonard has been nothing new for Harden, but playing in both halves of the back-to-back set is something Leonard hadn't done since March of the Clippers' 2023-24 season.
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“He's been playing great ever since he's been back,” Harden said of Leonard. “It took him a couple games to shake the rust off, but other than that, he's been looking like Kawhi, so tonight was no different. Kawhi is Kawhi. It's on him to build that confidence in himself to go out there and play back-to-backs and play 40 minutes.
“He feels it, he knows his body, and tonight, he knew how important this game was for us and he wanted to go out there and play on a back-to-back and he did that. We fed off the energy that he was bringing, the points he was scoring, and the defensive intensity he has.”
Ivica Zubac also had a historic night, becoming the first player to record a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double with no turnovers or misses (from the field or free throw line).
“I knew I didn’t have any misses, but I didn’t know no one ever did it before,” the Clippers center responded when asked about the feat. “It’s fun, man. Going out there and competing every night, teammates looking for me, trusting me with the ball, throwing it to me, and we’re winning too. It’s been a lot of fun lately.”
Like Harden, Zubac was also ecstatic to see Leonard on the floor for a big April game in a back-to-back setting.
“He looked great. He's been looking great the last few months. He's looking like the Kawhi that we know. He's doing stuff that we know he can, he's leading us, he's a bad dude on the court on both sides of the floor. I was happy to see him play a back-to-back. It's been a long journey for him, but he worked his tail off and it's good to see him playing back-to-backs.”
Entering Monday, the Clippers (46-32) are the fifth seed and tied in the loss column with the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Memphis Grizzlies.
The LA Clippers moved all the way up to the 5th seed and are tied in the loss column with the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Memphis Grizzlies.
One week left 🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/A2R4b1PCUf
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 7, 2025
The Clippers' final four games of the season are at home against the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets as well as on the road against the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. At this stage, every game is a must-win, but the final game of the season against the Warriors will likely decide whether the Clippers are a top-six seed or a play-in team.
