Kawhi Leonard Stats Tonight: How did Clippers star perform against the Lakers? (Jan. 19)

Kawhi Leonard was back in the LA Clippers lineup on Sunday night against the LA Lakers. Leonard missed the Clippers' previous game on Jan. 16 versus the Portland Trail Blazers due to right knee injury management. It was the second game of a back-to-back, so the team decided to give him an extra rest.

But how did the two-time NBA champion perform against LeBron James and the Lakers? Leonard finished the game with 19 points, one rebound, four assists and one steal in 24 minutes. He had 11 points in the first half and eight points in the third quarter.

Coach Ty Lue continued to limit his minutes, sitting his best player for the entire fourth quarter. It didn't affect the outcome as the Clippers dominated the Lakers to earn the 116-102 win.

Here are Kawhi Leonard's stats for the game:

Players

PTS

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

MIN

FG

3PT

FT

+/-

Kawhi Leonard

19

1

4

1

0

1

0

24:17

9-13

1-3

0-0

+20

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How did Kawhi Leonard perform tonight against the LA Lakers?

Kawhi Leonard had five points in the first quarter as the LA Clippers started taking control of the game early. It was pretty close in the first seven minutes of the game before the hosts started taking over and earned a 36-32 lead after the first 12 minutes.

In the second quarter, "The Klaw" added six points to his tally despite playing limited minutes. He was on the court for just 16 minutes in the first half, eight per quarter. The Clippers broadcast confirmed that coach Ty Lue will continue to limit his minutes against the LA Lakers in the second half.

Kawhi Leonard played eight more minutes in the third quarter, scoring eight more points as the LA Clippers dominated their crosstown rivals. The Clippers even had a 26-point lead at one point before the LA Lakers ended the period on a 15-2 run.

Despite the Lakers getting momentum to start the fourth quarter, the Clippers stuck to their minutes restriction on Leonard. The two-time NBA champion did not play for the rest of the game, but his team still managed to pull off the 116-102 victory.

The Clippers had plenty of help, with Ivica Zubac dropping another double-double of 21 points and 19 rebounds plus three assists and three blocks. Norman Powell had 22 points, four rebounds and three steals, while James Harden added 21 points, four rebounds and 12 assists.

On the other hand, the LA Lakers' best player for the game was LeBron James, who finished with 25 points, five rebounds, 11 assists and three steals. Anthony Davis had a quiet 16 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks, while Austin Reaves put up 14 points.

The Clippers improved to 24-17 for the season, sitting fifth in the Western Conference standings ahead of the Lakers at 22-18.