Kawhi Leonard’s bloody nose couldn’t stop him
The Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday they defeated the Utah Jazz 118-101 for their sixth straight victory. Amazing, Clippers Kawhi Leonard dominated againwith a masterpiece of 45 points despite a bloody nose.
Leonard finished with 45 points on 16-of-29 shooting, including 6-of-16 from the three-point line. In addition, he had seven rebounds. This was another great game in a hot streak that also included a Leonard’s dominance of 55 points. The Clippers jumped out to a 31-17 lead after the first quarter. When the fourth quarter began, the Clippers led 82-81. But Leonard helped the Clippers win, as they ran away with it in the final stanza.
Kawhi Leonard on the LA Clippers’ 6-game winning streak:
32 PTS – 12 REBS – 3 ASTS – 3 STLS – 2 BLKS
41 PTS – 8 REBS – 5 ASTS
28 PTS – 6 REBS – 6 ASTS – 3 STLS – 1 BLK
55 PTS -11 REBS – 2 ASTS – 5 STLS – 3 STLS
33 PTS – 4 REBS – 5 ASTS – 3 STLS – 1 BLK
45 PTS – 7 REBS – 3 ASTS…— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 2, 2026
Leonard did all this despite having a bloody nose. Overall, he played well enough to help the Clippers pull away in the fourth quarter. Leonard had a great week, and it continued with another great performance. In addition to his performance, James Harden also helped, adding 20 points on 5 of 14 shooting. Nikolas Batum came off the bench with 14 points.
Blood on the nose doesn’t matter, Kawhi Leonard is 45‼ pic.tvitter.com/KSVsAnMsSai
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 2, 2026
The Clippers were in a terrible funk for most of the first two months. However, a recent surge has brought them back into the conversation. It’s no surprise that this coincided with Leonard’s resurgence. During the six-game winning streak, it included wins against top teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets.
Leonard playing through the pain and creating at his best pace in recent memory has potentially given the Clippers a spark as they try to climb out of the hole they’ve dug themselves. Next up, he’ll get another chance to stay hot against a top team as the Clippers host the Boston Celtics.
2026-01-02 16:28:00
