Kawhi Leonard says he “enjoyed” Darius Garland’s inspirational performance on his Los Angeles Clippers debut after the newly acquired guard contributed 12 points off the bench in his team’s 114–101 NBA home win over the Golden State Warriors on Monday.
On the second night of a back-to-back, the Clippers overcame a 17-point deficit with a second-half comeback helped by a three-pointer from Garland late in the third quarter.
Knock ’em down, Darius 😤 pic.twitter.com/nYK1z2tYwj
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 3, 2026
“He did great,” said Leonard, who scored 15 of his 23 points during the final 24 minutes as the Clippers outscored their opponents 72-45 during the second half.
“He stayed aggressive… looks very promising out there. I enjoyed his performance.
“We’re going to be looking at him to get us involved, get him some shots, push the pace in transition and just get everybody involved and call sets, so we’re not stagnant at times.”
“It was like a team effort tonight, so it was a really good win” – Darius Garland after his first W as a Clipper 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/s98FJd9UZO
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 3, 2026
Table of Contents
Analysis: Darius Garland’s Clippers debut to remember
Despite missing Stephen Curry (right knee) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) through injuries, the Warriors made a flying start with the help of Brandin Podziemski, who scored 20 of his 22 points before half-time.
Garland – a 2022 and 2025 All-Star – made his bow following his switch from the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom the 26-year-old had been since 2019.
“He’s an All-Star player and I’m just looking forward to playing more basketball with him and more minutes as he ramps up,” anticipated Leonard.
“He’s been great all year, even last year. For sure, he should be first team all-defense this year. I’m not sure what the requirements are.”
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total |
| Clippers | 19 | 23 | 35 | 37 | 114 |
| Warriors | 31 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 101 |
What are Darius Garland’s NBA stats this season?
Garland is averaging 17.7 points per game this season, dropping slightly from 20.6 last season, as well as 6.7 assists per contest.
He has an average of 2.4 rebounds, a field goal percentage of 45.1 and a three-point percentage of 35.7, allied with free throw stats of 86.4.
The 2019 first-round pick scored the go-ahead 11-footer to start the fourth quarter as part of an impressive first appearance since January 14.
“It was a really good team win,” said Garland, calling teammate Kris Dunn a “big bro”. “KD’s just an animal. He’s got a neck for the ball.
“He got two really big steals in that second half that really started to get us going on the offense and defensively.
“I had a lot of confidence with KD out on the floor with me, for sure.”
When do the LA Clippers next play? Fixtures, schedule
The Clippers are next in action against the Indiana Pacers at the Intuit Dome on Wednesday (22:30 ET / 19:30 PT / 03:30 GMT on Thursday).
They are ninth in the Western Conference and 6-4 after two consecutive wins. The Pacers (2-8, L6) are bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: 101greatgoals.com
