Kawhi Leonard calls Benedict Maturin “great lift” after 38-point game against Nuggets

Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers earned a big win against one of the best teams in the NBA on Thursday night, thanks in large part to the contributions of the new guard Benedict Maturin.

The fourth-year guard was traded to the Clippers on the day of the NBA trade deadline in a package that also brought Isaiah Jackson and several draft picks to Los Angeles in exchange for All-Defensive center Ivica Zubac.

Only in his third game with the team since being acquired — and his first game in the Intuit Dome as a Clipper — Maturin has been huge in the Clippers’ comeback win.

Benedikt Maturin scored 38 points in his first home game to lead the Clippers to a 115-114 victory over Nikola Jokic and Denver Nuggets. The guard shot 12 of 22 from the field and 12 of 13 from the free throw line in the win, scored 11 points off the bench in the first quarter and poured in 16 points in the fourth quarter to close out the victory.

“He was doing it,” Kawhi Leonard said his new teammate. “It’s great to have another scorer who can get 30 points, I watched him in the NBA Finals (against the Oklahoma City Thunder). He did it in the Finals last year, all last year with the Pacers, so it’s great to have him.”

Kawhi Leonard in Benedict Maturin’s 38-point game against the Nuggets:

“He’s been doing it. It’s great to have another scorer that can get 30 points, I watched him in the Finals. He did it in the Finals last year, all last year with the Pacers, so it’s great to have him.” pic.twitter.com/rDreMcknPn

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) February 20, 2026

Maturin had several big performances for the Indiana Pacers last postseason, including a 27-point performance in Game 3 to help his team take a 2-1 series lead and a 24-point, 13-rebound performance in Game 7 after Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles tendon.

“He’s been aggressive since he’s been playing with us, but it’s been great,” Leonard added. “Like you said, he scored 11 in the first, and he kept it going. He got out in transition, made some layups, hit some big three-point shots. He guarded himself pretty well, so it was a great rebound.”

Benedict Maturin has increased his points, rebounds and assists in three straight seasons, but now he has a chance to develop the consistency that was unavailable to him in Indiana under head coach Rick Carlisle.

“It’s going to be great (to play under head coach Tyronn Lue),” Mathurin said after last night’s win. “He might end up being my best friend. He told me to be aggressive, man. He told me to be myself and I feel like he really knows his game. He really knows what I can do. So, I’m glad to have him as my coach and I think by bringing everybody together, we can do a lot of great things.”

Thursday night was also the second straight game in which Maturin reached double figures in free throw attempts, showing an ability to not only score at a high level but also pressure the defense and get to the free throw line, where he shot a career-high 83.6 percent.