After Kawhi Leonard put up a dazzling performance on Friday night with 41 points and a season-high six three-pointers, the LA Clippers picked up a big win against the Utah Jazz to follow up their victory over the defending champions on Wednesday.
When the Clippers left Delta Center with the victory, a number of historic milestones had been reached. The win marked LA's first win on the road against Utah in the regular season since February of 2017.
The Clippers' victory ended an 11-game regular season losing streak in Salt Lake City. It was also Kawhi Leonard's first win in Utah since November of 2016, as well as Head Coach Tyronn Lue's first victory in Salt Lake as a coach.
But perhaps the most impressive record that was set on Friday concerned the quartet of Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Playing in their 16th game in a row, the Clippers' superstars have already played in as many games together as the Brooklyn Nets' infamous trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden did.
Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden have already played as much games together this season as the Nets big 3 did in their entire tenure together.
— ᴅ ʀ ᴇ ᴡ (@FeelLikeDrew) December 9, 2023
(@ub790uy2l) pic.twitter.com/TgfPbmwD4G
The Clippers' superstars have already matched the games played total of Durant, Irving and Harden in Brooklyn
What was supposed to be a league-breaking trio in Brooklyn turned out to be an abject failure. Now, a group of players that is tabbed as endlessly injured in LA has ironically already played as many games together as the Nets' former lineup of superstars.
The Clippers are already proving the doubters and haters wrong. They have now won eight of their last 11 games and are back to .500 (8-8 record) with Harden in the lineup overall.
The vision is starting to become clearer for the Clippers and their lineup of top-tier talent. A win over the Jazz may not feel overly significant on the surface, but this one was marked by historical milestones that signify LA's progress.