Kawhi Leonard credits LA for fighting back after tough win against Rockets
Kawhi Leonard usually doesn’t say much, but after a triumphant 105-102 victory over Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, his message was loud and clear. The The star of the Los Angeles Clippers carried his team across the finish line at the Toyota Center, erasing the bad taste of a loss to the same Rockets team just twenty-four hours earlier.
The game felt like a grind for most of the night, with Los Angeles struggling to find a rhythm offensively. However, Leonard took matters into his own hands when it mattered most, exploding for 19 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter alone.
He finished the night with a signature fadeaway jumper while being fouled with just two seconds remaining, converting a three-point play to seal the win. Along with his scoring spree, Leonard grabbed 12 rebounds, extending his career-best 20-point streak to 33.
After the game, two-time Finals MVP pointed to the resilience of the team as a decisive factor. “Just keep fighting, we fought all night, we didn’t give up. We thought we could win this basketball game. We didn’t play good basketball yesterday and really not today, so we just wanted to play better basketball, and we did that in the 4th quarter.”
A smiling Kawhi is the best Kawhi 🥹 pic.twitter.com/l6J3bUUuuN
— Lauren Rosen (@LaurenMRosen) February 12, 2026
Rockets didn’t have it easy, led by Kevin Durant with 21 points and a spark off the bench from rookie Reed Shepherd, who finished with 17. Alperen Sengun also played a big role, making a late layup and free throw to tie the game at 102 with seven seconds left. Despite the pressure, Leonard kept his composure, grabbed a rebound on Sengun’s missed second free throw and called the timeout that set up his heroics.
With the win, the Clippers head into the All-Star break with a much-needed momentum boost.
2026-02-12 05:10:00
