This week in 2019: Kawhi Leonard's Clippers debut brings 30 points and a 112-102 win over the Lakers
WhyNBA Sports Desk · Oct 18, 2026
The story
Kawhi Leonard played his first game for his hometown Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, October 22, 2019, seven years ago this week, and he scored 30 points in a 112-102 opening-night win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.
The story
It was the first regular-season meeting of the two rebuilt Los Angeles teams, and it set the tone for a season in which the city expected both of them to contend.
How the night unfolded
The Lakers started fast, opening a 13-2 lead, and led 25-22 after one quarter. The Clippers answered with a 40-point second quarter and went to halftime up 62-54.
How the night unfolded
Los Angeles' other team came back in the third, when Danny Green capped a 15-0 run, and the game was tied 85-85 heading into the fourth.
How the night unfolded
That is where Leonard and the Clippers' second unit took over. The Clippers opened the final quarter on a 19-7 run to go up 104-92, and the Lakers never got closer than single digits again.
How the night unfolded
Leonard, at one stage hitting seven shots in a row, finished 10 of 19 from the field and 9 of 10 at the free-throw line in 31 minutes, adding six rebounds, five assists and two steals. He also turned the ball over six times, the one rough number in his line.
How the night unfolded
The bench was the difference. Lou Williams scored 21 with seven assists, Montrezl Harrell had 17 points and seven rebounds, and JaMychal Green made four three-pointers for 12. Clippers reserves outscored their Lakers counterparts 60-19, and Maurice Harkless added four steals.
How the night unfolded
Patrick Beverley scored only two points but grabbed 10 rebounds.
How the night unfolded
For the Lakers, Danny Green made 7 of 9 threes and scored 28, the most by any player in his Lakers debut. Anthony Davis, in his first regular-season game in purple and gold, had 25 points and nine rebounds, 9 of 14 at the line.
How the night unfolded
LeBron James posted 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists but shot 7 of 19 and had five turnovers.
Why it mattered then
Four months earlier Leonard had won the championship and the Finals MVP award with the Toronto Raptors.
Why it mattered then
In free agency that July he chose the Clippers, and the team paired him with Paul George by sending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a haul of first-round picks to Oklahoma City.
Why it mattered then
George was still recovering from offseason surgery on both shoulders and did not play on opening night, so Leonard carried the debut largely on his own. Lakers fans booed his introduction.
Why it mattered then
Doc Rivers, then the Clippers' coach, summed up his quiet star after the game: "He talks with his game."
What it led to
The win was the first step in a 49-23 season that put the Clippers second in the Western Conference. It did not end as planned.
What it led to
In the 2020 playoffs in the Florida bubble, the Clippers led the Denver Nuggets 3-1 in the second round and lost the series in seven games. The Lakers, beaten on opening night, went on to win the 2020 championship.
What it led to
The opener stayed the high point of a promise that never fully paid off. Leonard and George never reached the Finals together, and injuries kept interrupting their years side by side. For one October night, though, the newcomer from Toronto owned the arena both teams shared.
Photo credit
Staples Center in 2012. File photo: David Jones / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0. {"source":"Wikimedia Commons","file":"File:Timberwolves Clippers game at Staples Center.jpg","page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Timberwolves_Clippers_game_at_Staples_Center.jpg","license":"CC BY 2.0","license_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0","author":"David Jones","retrieved_at":"2026-10-18T14:50:16+00:00"}
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