Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 22 as the Los Angeles Clippers remained red-hot in March with a 153-128 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Inglewood, Calif.
Darius Garland scored 16 points and Jordan Miller had 14 as the play-in-tournament eligible Clippers improved to 6-1 this month. Los Angeles (33-32) became the first team in NBA history to move over .500 after they were 15 games under in the same season.
Leonard delivered his fifth game with at least 40 points this season and his second against the Timberwolves.
The Clippers set a season high in points scored and are 15-5 at home since Dec. 20, while avenging a 94-88 loss to the Timberwolves at home on Feb. 26.
Anthony Edwards scored 36 points and Naz Reid added 18 as Minnesota lost its third consecutive game. Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Jaylen Clark each had 11 points for the Timberwolves, who have dropped from third to fifth place in the Western Conference during the current skid.
While the Clippers shot 63.4% from the floor, the Timberwolves finished at 59.7%.
Minnesota got off to a rugged start with five turnovers in its first six possessions and finished with 21 turnovers. The Clippers led by 16 after eight minutes and were up 38-27 at the end of the first quarter.
The Timberwolves stormed back in the second quarter, pulling within three on multiple occasions before the Clippers took a 74-65 lead at halftime. Minnesota trailed at the break despite shooting 68.6% from the floor.
The Timberwolves had 15 turnovers by halftime that the Clippers turned into 21 points.
Los Angeles led 109-98 after three quarters after shooting 63.6% (7 of 11) from 3-point range in the period. Four 3-pointers in the opening 3:16 of the fourth quarter gave the Clippers a 126-102 lead and they coasted to the victory.
Leonard has 43 consecutive games of at least 20 points, one off the Clippers’ franchise record set by Bob McAdoo in 1974-75 when the team played in Buffalo.
