It was the Los Angeles Clippers that emerged victorious on opening night against their cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Clippers, who were without superstar signing Paul George (shoulder injury; expected to miss at least the opening 10 games of the season), were very impressive in this one, as they successfully held off a second-half surge form the Lakers, en route to a 112-102 victory.

One man was at the center of it all; and there is no question that this win would not have been possible for the Clippers without the heroics of reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. The 6-foot-7 swingman absolutely torched the Lakers on the evening, going for 30 points (on 10-of-19 shooting), one three-pointer, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block, while also knocking down nine out of his 10 attempts from the line.

Leonard was his usually dominant self defensively, as he set the tone for the Clippers against an offensively gifted Lakers side. Kawhi and the Clippers successfully prevented Anthony Davis (8-of-21 shooting for 25 points, three turnovers) and LeBron James (7-of-19 shooting for 18 points, five turnovers) from exploding in the season opener, which resulted in a favorable result for the Clippers.

Kawhi had a slow start in this one, and at one point, it did appear like this was going to be a forgettable debut for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner. It didn't take him long to get things going, though, as he started knocking down consecutive mid-range jumpers. Any disbelief quickly evaporated after that.

Leonard's six assists were also quite impressive, as the 28-year-old exhibited his playmaking skills throughout the ballgame. The Clippers started with Patrick Beverley and Landry Shamet in their backcourt, and with the lack of playmaking between these two guards, the offense went through Kawhi early and often. Given the makeup of this Clippers side, it wouldn't be surprising at all if Leonard ends up besting his career average of 2.4 assists per game this season.

Simply put, Leonard picked up right where he left off last season. The three-time All-Star already appeared like he was in mid-season form, as he dominated a Lakers side that looked like they were still reeling from an extended offseason.

It is worth noting that Kawhi did turn the ball over six times in this one, which is actually quite uncharacteristic (he averages just 1.5 turnovers per contest in his career). We can simply dust this off as a bit of Day 1 jitters, which is certainly not bad considering how he absolutely dominated the game in every other facet.

This was exactly the statement game Leonard had to make in his Clippers debut, as he proved that he is still the same beast despite being in a different uniform. It's only scary to imagine how good this L.A. side will be once Paul George returns to full form. If this opening night victory is any indication, then the experts were right in picking the Clippers as one of the favorites to go all the way this season.