Thanks to the “Los Angeles Hua Tuo Team”? Kawhi Returns After 6 Days Out with 24 & 5, Extends 23-Game 20+ Streak

Beijing time on January 23, the Clippers bounced back in the NBA regular season with a 112–104 win over the Lakers, avoiding a losing streak. Kawhi Leonard returned after missing time since January 17 and looked sharp right away following six days of rest in Los Angeles. He poured in 24 points through three quarters; although the Lakers tightened their defense in the fourth and held him scoreless, the Clippers’ supporting cast closed the door, and Leonard still extended his streak to 23 straight games with 20+ points.

If anyone deserves a playful “Los Angeles miracle doctor” label, it’s the Lakers—Leonard had taken contact to his left knee in a previous game against Detroit after collisions with Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart, which landed him on the injury report and cost him three games. He was upgraded to available ahead of this rivalry matchup, and he immediately showed he was ready. In his first six minutes, Leonard went 2-for-3 from deep, scoring eight points with two rebounds, and even knocked down a tough midrange jumper while defended by LeBron James.

Leonard stayed in rhythm in the second quarter, drilling three straight midrange shots. A miss from the top of the arc didn’t slow him down, and his work helped push the Clippers’ lead to 12. He played only six minutes in the period before heading to the bench, and he wasn’t on the floor for the closing stretch of the half. Still, James Harden steadied the offense and helped expand the advantage to 17 by halftime. Leonard logged 11:46 in the first half, going 6-of-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from three for 14 points, three rebounds, two assists, and zero turnovers.

After the break, Leonard’s touch remained intact despite the extended rest. He hit another midrange jumper over James, then buried a wide-open three to stretch the lead to 23 and force a Lakers timeout. Leonard’s control was evident—give him space in the midrange and he made the Lakers pay. In an eight-minute third quarter stint, he went 3-of-6 overall and 1-of-2 from three for 10 points and one rebound. Through three quarters, he had played 19 minutes and produced 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, with four rebounds, two assists, and no turnovers.

The fourth quarter brought a different look. Leonard opened the period as the lone star leading the unit, and the Lakers sent aggressive help, forcing the ball out of his hands. Meanwhile, the Clippers found points elsewhere—Jordan Miller attacked gaps for timely buckets, and Ivica Zubac’s work on the glass created extra possessions and kept the offense alive. As the Lakers’ pressure intensified, Leonard couldn’t rediscover his rhythm, going 0-for-3 in the final period and scoring zero points. Overall in the second half, he shot 3-of-10, a 30% clip.

Leonard finished with 24 points in 26 minutes, shooting 9-of-19 from the field, 3-of-7 from three, and 3-of-3 at the line. He added five rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two turnovers, posting a 47.4% field-goal percentage and 42.9% from deep. In a sense, his game inverted LeBron’s—James found more efficiency as the second half unfolded, while Leonard cooled off late. Even so, his early dominance helped set the tone, and the streak lives on: 23 consecutive games with 20-plus points.