NEW YORK--Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 28 points Sunday afternoon for the visiting Los Angeles Clippers, who fended off a fourth-quarter rally by the New York Knicks and pulled away for a 129-115 win.
Reggie Jackson had 18 points for the Clippers, who put six players into double figures as they won for the 10th time in 11 games. Paul George scored 17 points, Serge Ibaka added 15 points while Patrick Patterson had 13 points and Marcus Morris Sr. contributed 11 points off the bench.
Julius Randle had 27 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who have lost four of five. Immanuel Quickley had another big game off the bench with 25 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. RJ Barrett scored 23 points and Elfrid Payton finished with 10 points.
The Knicks led by as many as seven before ending the first quarter with a 31-29 lead. The teams were tied nine times in the second quarter before Patterson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Clippers the lead for good at 65-63 with 1:09 left. Los Angeles led 66-65 at the half and extended the lead with a 7-0 run to open the third quarter.
Randle scored five points during a 12-6 run by the Knicks that pulled them within 79-77, but following a Clippers timeout, Jackson drained 3-pointers on consecutive trips to begin a 13-5 run that gave Los Angeles its first double-digit lead at 92-82.
The Clippers had a quartet of 12-point leads before carrying a 101-91 lead into the fourth. Quickley scored eight straight points to pull the Knicks within 105-103 with 7:44 left, but Los Angeles scored the next nine points and extended the lead to double digits again on a Leonard layup with 5:45 left.
The Knicks scored six of the next eight points and pulled within 116-109 on a pair of free throws by Barrett, but Ibaka hit a 3-pointer and converted a traditional 3-point play during an 8-0 run that lasted less than a minute and iced the game for the Clippers, who led by at least 12 the rest of the way.
