Kawhi Leonard and James Harden stung the Hornets

Two days after the great success against the Jazz, the Hornets made the second stop of their six-game “journey” by going up for the challenge Clippers who are still trying to break into the Top 10 in the West. The first player to appear is the French Moussa Diabate (13 points, 15 rebounds) who scored the Hornets’ first six points.

On the Clippers side, Tyronn Lue’s men lack early skill, but multiply their passes toward the free throw line to avoid being left behind. At the end of this first act, James Harden (32 points, 10 assists) exceeds Zion James to make a basket in front of the racket, but it is not enough to give the Clippers the advantage (25-24).

However, Los Angeles took the lead early in the second quarter Kawhi Leonard (35 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists). From then on, the two teams exchanged blows for several minutes and it was like that Nicholas Batum (7 points on 2/2 at 3 points) which puts the Clippers in front before going back to the locker room (45-43).

The Clippers leave the Hornets in the rearview mirror

After the break, Kawhi Leonard caught fire and scored 16 points in less than five minutes. If the Clippers take up to nine steps forward, Charlotte responds with thanks LaMelo Ball (25 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) to get back within one possession, but the home team still leads before entering the final act (86-84).

The fourth quarter in which the Clippers do not let up. Jordan Miller scores a long shot and is followed by two winning baskets by James Harden (86-84). A few minutes later, this same Jordan Miller found Kobe Sanders while Kawhi Leonard gets the better of him Brandon Miller to give the Clippers a fourteen-point advantage, which is the biggest deficit in the match (114-101).

It was the final blow for the Hornets who couldn’t get back on track and ended up losing 117-109. The Clippers are coming off their second straight win before hosting the Wizards this Thursday.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– James Harden flips over Shaquille O’Neal. After Carmelo Anthony passed to enter the Top 10 most prolific scorers in the NBA, James Harden has now surpassed Shaquille O’Neal. In the third quarter, the Clippers’ leader fired a long-range arrow that allowed him to surpass Shaq’s 28,596 career points and take his ninth place. Thanks to 32 points against the Hornets, James Harden’s score increased to 28,614 units.

– A two-sided match. While the Clippers were sloppy in the first half, going into the locker room allowed them to adjust their sights. Kawhi Leonard gets his team on track with 16 points in less than five minutes, but Charlotte responds and continues to match the Californians. While the score was 45-43 at halftime, the two teams scored 41 points in the third quarter on 65% shooting for Los Angeles and 63% for the Hornets. However, only the Clippers manage to maintain this pace in the last act like this 15-1 that sealed the fate of the match.

– Jordan Miller confirms. For a few games, Tyronn Lue is counting on Jordan Miller more and more. This Monday, the defender played 27 minutes and was important. At the end of the third quarter, he made a layup to give the Clippers the lead again. In a 15-1 run that took place in the fourth quarter, Jordan Miller came up with the game-winning shot and an assist that gave Los Angeles an eleven-point lead. To make sure the Hornets didn’t get back into the game, he made a layup on James Harden’s missed shot. No. 22 of the Clippers finished the night with 14 points on 6/11 shooting.

– Moussa Diabate in double-double. The Frenchman was dominant in his racket. From the start of the match, he scored the first six points of Charlotte. Facing the duo of Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez, Moussa Diabate dominated the battle for rebounds and finished with 15 shots, as many as the Clippers’ pivot duo. In 35 minutes of play, he added 13 points on 6/10 shooting and 4 blocks.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = point difference when the player is on the court; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.