The Clippers have spent most of the season glaring at the standings. Monday night they hit .500 for the first time since early November. Led by an unflappable Kawhi Leonard and a bench that actually made plays, Los Angeles beat the New York Knicks 126-118 at the Intuit Dome. The win lifts the Clippers to 32-32 and signals a very different vibe from the mess that wrecked their start.
In March the team’s humming — five wins in six. Suddenly the machine looks like what it should’ve been. Turns out losing Harden and Zubac isn’t fatal when Kawhi’s this hot and the bench finally has teeth…
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Kawhi: cold, constant
Kawhi Leonard doesn’t need to shout to wreck a game. Monday he was clinical: 29 points, steady when it mattered, and the streak keeps rolling. Leonard has now put up at least 20 points in 42 straight games — the second-longest active streak in the NBA and third-longest in Clippers history.
KAWHI LEONARD JUST COOKED OG ANUNOBY.
NASTY.pic.twitter.com/S8lu5djFQy
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 10, 2026
The first quarter set the tone. L.A. exploded out of the gate, hitting four straight threes. The pace was up, the ball moved, and when things slowed Kawhi took over. Late in the first half his duel with Karl-Anthony Towns lit the building — Kawhi ripped off ten straight points, Towns answered with eight. At halftime the Clippers led 64-55 and it already felt like a stars-only brawl.
Clippers’ bench steps up
If Kawhi steered the ship, the bench won the day. Bennedict Mathurin, electric off the bench, poured in 28 points — 22 of them after halftime. In a tense fourth he drew a crucial and-one before Derrick Jones Jr. buried a three that put the Knicks to bed.
Darius Garland, in his second start, added 23 points and 7 assists. Five Clippers finished in double figures. That kind of depth has been missing all season. Lately it’s changing everything.
Knicks hang on, then fold
The Knicks never fully quit. Karl-Anthony Towns was gigantic: 35 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, an absurd 13-for-17 before fouling out with six late fouls. Jalen Brunson scored 28 and OG Anunoby 22. Cheered by loud “Let’s go Knicks” chants from the California crowd, New York kept chipping away.
Karl-Anthony Towns 35 PTS, 12 REB, 7 AST, 13/17 FG, 3/4 3FG, 85.3% TS vs Clippers https://t.co/L3iGb0MWBS pic.twitter.com/CZQ7bFQOA8
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) March 10, 2026
A 17-9 burst across the end of the third cut the lead to 88-81. In the closing minutes New York got within five three separate times. Each time the Clippers had an answer.
Clippers hit .500
This win doesn’t erase the season’s chaos — a brutal 6-21 start still stings. But the group is starting to look like one that can fight for a Play-In spot in the Western Conference. Hitting .500 nudges Tyron Lue’s men into ninth place in the West, helped by the Warriors’ slow slide since Butler and then Curry went down.
With Kawhi this steady and a bench that’s heating up, the Clippers are finally moving the right way. After months of chasing .500 they’ve finally caught it. A small line in the standings, sure — but a huge symbol for a team trying to rebuild mid-season.
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