Kawhi Leonard made a rousing debut with the Los Angeles Clippers, firing 30 points in a 112-102 victory over LeBron James and the Lakers at the start of the NBA 2019-2020 season on Tuesday night (Wednesday, PHL time).
Lou Williams added 21 points and Montrezl Harrell had 17 off the bench when the Clippers opened their 50th season and 36th in Los Angeles as the once unlikely but now favorites to win the franchise’s first NBA championship, a report by Associated Press said.
The Lakers paraded their new 1-2 punch of James and Anthony Davis.
Davis finished with 25 points, making 9-of-14 free throws, and James had 18.
Danny Green, also a new recruit by the Lakers, scattered 28 points.
The Clippers defeated the Lakers despite not having Paul George, who is sidelined indefinitely while rehabbing from a pair of offseason shoulder surgeries.