Kawhi 55 Points & Wizards Win: NBA Highlights

The match: Leonard blazes and leads the Clippers to a 4th victory in a row

The buyout operation is underway for the Clippers, who will try as best they can to qualify for the playoffs after a catastrophic start to the season. The Hollywood franchise is doing better at the moment and it even signed a fourth victory in a row by beating the team ranked first in the East, the Pistons (112-99). Detroit came across a great Kawhi Leonard. The double NBA champion even quite simply delivered one of the best performances of his career since he completely broke his points record by planting 55 points on Sunday.

The Angelinos fielded the oldest major five in the league, with only players over the age of 30, but they held their own against the young Pistons. Mainly because Leonard showed himself to be imperial on the pitch. He converted 17 of his 26 attempts, including 5 of 10 behind the arc, but also 16 of 17 shots. His performance takes on even more significance by mentioning his 11 rebounds, 5 interceptions and 3 blocks. James Harden added 28 points and Nicolas Batum put in 12 starting from the start. Kawhi’s 26 points in the third quarter allowed the Clippers to take off and annihilate any chances of a comeback for the Pistons after a first half already clearly to the advantage of the Californians.

The Player: Barnes ties Toronto franchise record

The Raptors won against the Warriors (141-127) after overtime last night. A meeting marked by the performance of Scottie Barnes, author of a massive triple-double with 23 points, 10 assists but above all 25 rebounds. Apart from Bismack Biyombo in 2016, no Toronto player has ever had so many rebounds in a game and the two therefore share a franchise record. The Canadian team, trailing 113-120 following another award-winning basket from Stephen Curry (39 points) just over 90 seconds from the end of the fourth quarter, came roaring back in the finale to snatch an extension, precisely on a tap from Barnes. Curry didn’t score a single point in overtime and the Raptors broke away.

Performance: The Lakers revive against Sacramento

After three defeats in a row, the Lakers returned to success by beating the Kings without really trembling (125-101). Luka Doncic carried his team on his shoulders by compiling 34 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists while LeBron James scored 24 points, almost without missing (11 out of 13 on shots). Maxime Raynaud was still solid for Sacramento despite the defeat. The French pivot accumulated 16 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes.

The French: Sarr and Coulibaly make the Wizards win

Seventh victory of the season for Washington, winner of Memphis (116-112) and which can thank its French players. Notably Alex Sarr. The Wizards pivot was at the heart of his team’s success by posting 20 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks, his new personal best in the category. Bilal Coulibaly was not idle either, finishing with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Sidy Cissoko did not score in Portland’s victory against Boston (114-108) but he distributed 4 assists in 22 minutes.

All scores

Raptors – Warriors : 141-127
Thunder – Sixers : 129-104
Wizards – Grizzlies : 116-112
Trail Blazers – Celtics : 114-108
Clippers – Pistons : 112-99
Lakers – Kings : 125-101