LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard shrugged off an ankle injury to score 37 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Orlando Magic 111-109 on Sunday night at Intuit Dome .
Game Summary
Desmond Bane led the Magic with 36 points, while Paolo Banchero added 16 points and eight assists. Wendell Carter Jr. posted a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Tristan da Silva chipped in 13 for Orlando, which improved to 5-2 since Feb. 5 .
Bennedict Mathurin added 21 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Clippers in his fifth game since being acquired from the Indiana Pacers at the trade deadline. Jordan Miller contributed 14 points .
Mathurin had a chance to win it at the buzzer but missed a 25-foot three-point attempt as time expired .
Key Moments
In a tight game throughout, Leonard gave the Clippers a 107-105 lead with 3:03 remaining on a jumper from the top of the key. The Magic responded as Bane hit a jumper to tie the score, then made a layup with 1:28 left for a 109-107 advantage .
As the Clippers missed four consecutive shots, Orlando went up 111-107 on a fast-break dunk from Banchero with 40 seconds left .
Bane tried to pad the Magic’s lead with eight seconds remaining but had his shot blocked inside by rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser. Mathurin then raced down the floor for the final attempt, but his three-pointer rimmed out .
Injury Notes
Leonard exited Friday’s loss against the Lakers with an ankle sprain but was cleared to play Sunday . Jalen Suggs missed his second consecutive game for the Magic with back spasms .
The loss dropped the Clippers to 27-30 on the season and 4-5 since Feb. 2 .
