The LA Clippers have maintained all season that they're a better team than their record showed, even when they started the season a measly 6-21. But after months of work and impressive play on both ends of the court, the Clippers have done something no team ever has.
The Clippers lost 21 of their first 27 games to start the 2025-26 regular season, a record far from what they expected to be given the offseason additions they made. But between the season-ending injury to Bradley Beal, the ankle injury of Kawhi Leonard's, and the Chris Paul fiasco, the Clippers were dealing with a lot to start the season.
All of that made what the Clippers were able to accomplish on Monday night that much more incredible.
LA secured a 126-118 victory at home against the New York Knicks, led by Kawhi Leonard's 29 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists in 35 minutes of play. The victory improved the Clippers' record to 32-32 on the season, bringing them to a .500 record.
No team in NBA history who started with six or fewer wins in the first 27 games has ever come back to finish the season with a .500 record or even reach a .500 record at any point after that.
The Clippers are also the second team in NBA history to reach .500 after being 15 or more games under .500 in the same season, joining the 2016-17 Miami Heat. That Heat team began the season 19 games under .500 at 11-30 before finishing the season at 41-41.
The only difference is that no team has ever gotten over .500 in the same season, which the Clippers can now do on Wednesday night when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit Intuit Dome for the second time in three weeks.
“It means a lot,” head coach Tyronn Lue said after the Clippers win over the New York Knicks on Monday night. “Just about our guys in the locker room staying with it, continuing to fight, continuing to compete. We thought we should've been better and could've been better. Injuries hurt us, but this team, ever since I've been here for six years, our guys always continue to keep fighting when our backs are against the wall.
“I credit my coaching staff just doing a great job staying with it, being positive, continuing to help these guys get better. to start 6-21 and to be .500 right now is a big thing for us.”
The Clippers and Wolves will tip off Wednesday night's game at 7:30PM PST.
