Leonard was dominant throughout, shooting 17 of 26 from the field, including 5 of 10 from three-point range, and converting 16 of 17 free throws. His lone miss at the line came in the third quarter, ending a streak of 64 consecutive made free throws this month. He scored 26 points in the third quarter alone, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.
Nicolas Batum contributed 12 points, while Leonard also finished with 11 rebounds and five steals for Los Angeles, which had dropped 10 of its previous 11 games before the current four-game surge.
The Clippers leaned heavily on experience, starting three players aged 36 or older in Harden, Batum and Brook Lopez. All five starters were in their 30s, including Leonard (34) and Kris Dunn (31).
Cade Cunningham led the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons with 27 points despite being held scoreless in the first half due to foul trouble. Jalen Duren posted 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Jaden Ivey added 11 points for Detroit, which suffered back-to-back losses for only the second time this season.
Playing without center Ivica Zubac for a third straight game, the Clippers set the tone early. Their first double-digit lead came four minutes in at 16-6 on a Harden three-pointer.
Los Angeles built a lead of as many as 20 points in the first half, with Leonard scoring 25 before halftime. Detroit closed within nine points twice in the third quarter, but a 16-5 Clippers run restored a 20-point cushion at 81-61 on another Leonard three.
With the performance, Leonard became just the second player in franchise history to score at least 40 points in consecutive home games, joining Bob McAdoo.
Up next:
Pistons visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, while the Clippers host the Sacramento Kings the same night.
