Leonard's 28 leads Clippers past Bulls for fourth straight win

INGLEWOOD Calif. —  On a night when the Clippers were forced to adjust without one of their primary guards, the steady dominance of Kawhi Leonard was more than enough.

With Darius Garland sidelined because of a left toe injury, Leonard delivered 28 points to lead the Clippers past the Chicago Bulls 119–108 Friday night at Intuit Dome.

The win pushed the Clippers’ streak to four straight and six victories in their last seven games, continuing a late-season surge that has them climbing above the .500 mark. Leonard’s performance was methodical rather than flashy — the kind that has become routine for the All-Star forward. He finished with 28 points, four rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes while shooting 8-of-22 from the field and 2-of-6 from 3-point range.

More importantly, the performance carried historic weight. Leonard recorded his 44th consecutive 20-point game, tying franchise legend Bob McAdoo for the longest single-season 20-point streak in Clippers history.

Without Garland in the lineup, the Clippers received an immediate lift from their bench — particularly from Bennedict Mathurin.

Mathurin poured in 26 points with six rebounds and two assists in 28 minutes, continuing his strong scoring run since arriving in Los Angeles. The sixth man now has nine 20-point games with the Clippers this season after recording just one such outing off the bench with the Indiana Pacers earlier in the year.

Jordan Miller followed up his strong performance Wednesday with another productive night, adding 14 points. Mathurin and Miller combined for 40 points and highlighted a Clippers bench that produced 51 total points.

The supporting cast around Leonard helped stabilize things throughout the night.

Derrick Jones Jr. chipped in 10 points, two rebounds and two assists, while rookie guard Kobe Sanders — starting in Garland’s place — finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes.

Brook Lopez anchored the interior defensively and added 11 points and six rebounds, while Kris Dunn contributed eight points, six assists and four rebounds.

Defense ultimately helped the Clippers control the game. Los Angeles forced the Bulls into 15 turnovers while committing only six themselves, a gap that repeatedly created transition opportunities.

Chicago still found production from its backcourt. Tre Jones led the Bulls with 21 points on an ultra-efficient 10-of-11 shooting night, doing all his damage inside the arc without attempting a 3-pointer.

Meanwhile, Josh Giddey recorded a triple-double despite the loss, finishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 39 minutes.

Still, the Clippers’ depth and defensive pressure proved decisive.

Now sitting at 34–32, Los Angeles has moved two games above .500 and will have little time to celebrate. The Clippers return to the floor Saturday night at Intuit Dome, where they’ll host the Sacramento Kings on the second night of a back-to-back.