The Los Angeles Clippers kept their midseason surge rolling on Friday night, edging the Sacramento Kings 114-111 at Golden 1 Center to kick off a four-game road trip on the right foot. 

Even without James Harden, who was traded to Cleveland earlier in the week, and Ivica Zubac, the Clippers got contributions from all over the roster and leaned on their superstar to close things out.

Ivica Zubac shares several photos and a heartfelt message following his trade from the Clippers.

“This is one of the toughest moments in my life…” pic.twitter.com/ZdkXZkkGCP

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) February 6, 2026

Los Angeles trailed 27-17 after the first quarter, but flipped a switch and outscored Sacramento in each of the final three periods to pull away. 

The win moved the Clippers to 24-27 on the season while the Kings fell to 12-41, losers of 11 straight games.

Kawhi Does It All

Kawhi Leonard was the best player on the floor from start to finish, pouring in 31 points on 9-of-19 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals. 

He was perfect from the free-throw line, going 12-for-12 as he continues to carry one of the heaviest offensive loads in the league. Leonard now leads the NBA in steals per game this season and ranks seventh in scoring at a career-high 27.6 points per game.

With Harden gone and Garland sidelined due to a toe injury, Leonard stepped into more of a playmaking role and the results were hard to argue with. 

His seven assists helped the Clippers move the ball well enough to shoot 52.1% from the field as a team, and his presence on the defensive end helped hold Sacramento to just 27 percent from three-point range.

Starters All in Double Figures

One of the biggest takeaways from this game was the balance in the Los Angeles starting lineup. All five starters finished in double figures, which is exactly the kind of depth the Clippers need now that Harden is no longer on the roster. 

John Collins was the second-leading scorer with 22 points on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting along with seven rebounds and two blocks, continuing his strong stretch of play that has seen him shoot over 60% from the field over his last several games. 

Kings are terrible, but this was still a high character win by the Clippers on the road before any of their new guys are active, 114-111 in SAC. Kawhi with a familiar Kristina Pink post game interview, 31/9/7. Collins 22/7, Brook & Dunn 15 apiece, DJ w/ 13. Wolves noon Sunday.

— The Lob, The Jam, The Podcast (@TheLobTheJamPod) February 7, 2026

Brook Lopez added 15 points and nine rebounds while swatting three shots, Kris Dunn chipped in 15 points and five assists, and Derrick Jones Jr. rounded things out with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

That kind of balance is what has fueled the Clippers’ turnaround all season long.

A Historic Stretch Continues

It is easy to forget that this team started the year 6-21 and looked like one of the worst squads in basketball. 

Since then, Los Angeles has gone 18-6 over their last 24 games, which is the best winning percentage in the NBA over that stretch. 

The NBA.com editorial team recently called it “a turnaround like none other in the NBA,” comparing it to only two other teams in league history that reached the postseason after starting a season with a record that bad or worse.

Despite the recent losses to Philadelphia and Cleveland earlier in the week, Friday’s road win showed that the Clippers still have plenty of fight, and Leonard is still more than capable of carrying the team when they need him most. 

The Clippers continue their road trip on Sunday afternoon when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves, who sit at 32-21 and hold the fourth seed in the Western Conference.