INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Los Angeles Clippers bounced back from a halftime deficit Sunday night, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 114-107 at Intuit Dome. Kawhi Leonard led the charge with 30 points and 10 rebounds, helping Los Angeles improve to 2-1 on the young season.

Third Quarter Surge Powers Comeback

Down 60-55 at the break, the Clippers flipped the script in the third quarter, as Los Angeles outscored Portland 32-22 in the period to grab an 87-82 advantage heading into the final frame. Leonard, James Harden, and Ivica Zubac each poured in nine points during the quarter, using the offensive firepower that makes this team dangerous.

The Clippers’ defense tightened up significantly after allowing 60 first-half points, and Portland managed just 47 points over the final two quarters as Los Angeles controlled the paint and limited second-chance opportunities.

Beal Sits with Back Injury

The Clippers played without Bradley Beal, who was ruled out before tip-off with lower back soreness. The three-time All-Star took a charge against Phoenix in Friday’s win and couldn’t recover in time for Sunday’s contest.

Bogdan Bogdanovic drew the start in Beal’s place but struggled to find his rhythm all night.

Collins Provides Spark Off Bench

John Collins continued his strong start in a Clippers uniform, finishing with 16 points off the bench. The former Jazz big man has been everything the front office hoped for when they acquired him in the offseason, providing energy, athleticism, and a scoring punch.

Collins’ most important contribution came late in the fourth quarter. With Portland cutting the lead to 98-93, Collins delivered an and-one layup to push the advantage back to double digits at 109-98 with just over four minutes remaining.

“Just trusting my instincts,” Collins said when asked about adapting to multiple lineups. “We’re just going out there and hooping… Just being ready to finish when I touch the ball.”

Harden added 20 points and 13 assists, continuing to orchestrate the offense with his typical swagger, and Zubac finished with 21 points and eight rebounds, dominating the paint against Portland’s underrated frontcourt.

“Kawhi is a very, very generational talent,” Harden said of his co-star’s performance. “He can get to his shots when he wants.”

Despite the win, Leonard remained focused on areas for improvement when asked about his takeaway from the Clippers’ first three games.

“I don’t have an assessment,” Leonard said. “Tonight we turned over the ball and they got the lead from it. We have to be better.”

Trail Blazers Fall Short on Road

Deni Avdija led Portland with 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Jrue Holiday added 21 points, while Shaedon Sharpe contributed 19. Jerami Grant chipped in 17 points for the Blazers, who fell to 1-2 on the season.

The loss marked Portland’s second game under interim head coach Tiago Splitter, who took over after Chauncey Billups was placed on indefinite leave following his arrest on gambling-related charges.

Coach Lue acknowledged the challenge Portland presented despite the final score.

“I knew they were going to get up and pressure us, and we gotta do a better job of teams doing that,” Lue said. “I’m happy with this win because I knew it would be a tough game for us.”

Clippers Extend Dominance

The victory extended Los Angeles’ winning streak over Portland to 12 consecutive games, a run that dates back to the 2019-20 season. The Clippers have now won 19 of their last 21 matchups against the Trail Blazers.

Los Angeles will look to keep the momentum going Tuesday night when they visit the Golden State Warriors in their first road game since the season opener.