Kawhi Leonard powered the Los Angeles Clippers to a Sunday night victory over the Detroit Pistons with one of the best performances of his NBA career.
Leonard recorded a career-high 55 points, including 26 points in the third quarter, during a 112-99 win over the visiting Pistons.
That tied the Clippers’ single-game franchise points record set by James Harden in November.
Leonard added 11 rebounds, five steals and three blocks to record one of the best single-game stat lines in NBA history.
Leonard’s previous career high was 45 points, which he recorded while playing for the Toronto Raptors in a January 2019 win over the Utah Jazz.
He surpassed that total with more than two minutes remaining in the third quarter of Sunday night’s win.
Leonard finished the game having shot 17-for-26 from the field, 5-for-10 from deep and 16-for-17 from the foul line.
NBA fans were impressed both by Leonard’s performance and the fact that it took place against a Pistons team coming into the game with a 24-7 record.
Leonard had a similarly strong performance in the Clippers’ last home game on Tuesday, when he put up what was then a season high of 41 points in a win over the Houston Rockets.
He went into Sunday’s game having averaged almost 34 points throughout a three-game winning streak for the Clips.
The Clippers have now extended that victory streak to a season-high four games. Leonard will look to keep that momentum going Tuesday when his team returns to the Inuit Dome for a matchup against the Sacramento Kings.
