Kawhi Leonard’s surge brings hope of miracle Clippers turnaround

The Los Angeles Clippers have quietly been playing some improved basketball of late, currently sitting at 11-21 after blowing out the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. It was another monster game for Kawhi Leonard, who scored 26 of his 33 points in the first half on the heels of his 55-point explosion against the Detroit Pistons earlier in the week.

While the Clippers are still well below the playoff line in the Western Conference, their improvement over the last couple of weeks has some wondering if a miraculous turnaround could be on the horizon.

“Feel free to ignore this because I clearly don’t learn my lesson when it comes to the Clippers… The Clips are playing some really good ball now. This is maybe the best Kawhi Leonard has ever been offense. Who knows how long it lasts or where it goes, but LA is good right now,” wrote NBA insider Keith Smith on X, formerly Twitter.

The Clippers have now won five straight games, and the fact that they are still ten games under the .500 mark despite this hot streak speaks to just how putrid Los Angeles was to open up the season.

The entire NBA community is collectively breathing a sigh of relief at the Clippers’ winning ways, considering that their first-round pick next year will be heading to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are on pace for another historical season so far this year.

The Clippers’ win streak has also temporarily halted the trade rumors swirling around the team that had some fans wondering if James Harden, Ivica Zubac, or even Leonard himself could be on a new team before the February trade deadline.

In any case, the Clippers are next set to take the floor on Thursday night at home against the Utah Jazz. Tipoff for that game is set for 10:30 pm ET.