Kawhi, Clippers send Lakers to 4th-straight loss
LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard scored 11 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and pulled down 12 rebounds to help the Clippers beat the Lakers, 111-106, on Wednesday night in the NBA’s marquee Christmas game.
Montrezl Harrell scored 18 points off the bench, Paul George added 17 and the Clippers improved to 2-0 against the Lakers this season.
Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers with 25 points. LeBron James scored 23 points with 10 assists and nine rebounds. An- thony David scored 24 points. The Lakers have lost four straight games.
The Lakers had a chance to tie in the final seconds, but video review showed James touched the ball last after Patrick Beverly knocked it away as James went up for a 3. George hit two free throws for the final margin.
WARRIORS 116, ROCKETS 104
In San Francisco, Damion Lee made a statement on a rare big stage this season for injury-ravaged Golden State.
Lee scored 22 points with a career-high 15 rebounds, Draymond Green scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half and the Warriors beat the Rockets.
“I’m thankful that we got the win, but there’s still things that I feel I have to get better at day in and day out to fully solidify myself as an NBA player and not a two-way,” Lee said.
D’Angelo Russell added 20 points, and Glenn Robinson III chipped in 18 to help the Warriors win their third straight and end the Rockets’ four-game winning streak. Golden State improved to 824.
“We’re probably not going to play a bigger game than this all year,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “A national TV game against the Rockets. This game meant a lot to us.”
Russell Westbrook scored 30 points with 12 rebounds for Houston. James Harden added 24 points and 11 assists, and Danuel House Jr. scored18 points.
“We had a lot of great opportunities that we just didn’t convert,” Harden said. “It’s pretty simple.”
CELTICS 118, RAPTORS 102
Boston’s Jaylen Brown celebrated Christmas with something he had never enjoyed before: a road win at Toronto. Brown scored 30 points, Kemba Walker added 22 and the Celtics beat the Raptors in the first Christmas Day NBA game played in Canada. “It was good to get a win here on Christmas,” said Brown, who made five 3pointers and shot 10 for 13 from the field. “I’ve never won here, period, so it was great to just get one.”
Enes Kanter scored 12 points with 11 rebounds as the Celtics snapped an eightgame losing streak north of the border and became the first Atlantic Division opponent to win in Toronto in more than four years.
The Celtics have won four straight to improve to 8-2 in December.
Boston’s Gordon Hayward returned to the starting lineup after missing the past three games because of a sore left foot. He scored 14 points in 26 minutes.
“It’s still a little sore but it’s playable,” Hayward said. “It’s good, it’s good.”
Fred VanVleet scored 27 points in the Raptors’ second straight loss, and Chris Boucher scored a career-high 24.
“We weren’t quite physical enough, I thought, for most stretches of the game,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said.
The Raptors are 2-2 since losing center Marc Gasol (left hamstring), guard Norman Powell (left shoulder) and forward Pascal Siakam (groin) to injuries. Nurse had no update on the status of the trio, but acknowledged their absence is making life difficult.