Kawhi Leonard’s top five moments of the 2019-20 season

3. Christmas Day vs. Lakers – December 25, 2019

Another prime-time, marquee matchup against the Lakers, another prime-time marquee performance from Leonard leading to another win for the Clippers over their in-house rivals.

The annual NBA Christmas Day schedule is a showcase for the league (and for some, a reason to create a brand new holiday.) Matchups are carefully chosen to put the best of the NBA on display and this LA vs. LA matchup gave casual and hardcore fans of the game the holiday action they deserved.

Leonard scored a Christmas-Day franchise record 35 points (going 11-19 from the field, 5-7 from three-point-range) and added 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal in 38 minutes of action to lead the Clippers to a 111-106 victory over the Lakers, their second of the season.

They pulled out the victory after being down by 12 points at half-time and trailing by seven with just under seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The Clippers quickly went on a 7-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from Leonard to tie the game at 101 with a little over five minutes left to play.

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers talked about the importance of staying persistent after their win saying “we just kind of hung in there. Almost felt like we were biding our time and just trying to make a run. That’s something you have to have when things aren’t going great for you. You just got to hang in there, and I thought we did that tonight.”

Lakers superstar Antony Davis commented that he thought the Lakers gave the game away with turnovers and fouls down the stretch but also said, of the Clippers, “They wanted it more.”