Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points, James Harden added 21 and the LA Clippers had the largest margin of victory in franchise history, routing the Brooklyn Nets 126-67 on Wednesday night.
The Clippers broke the team margin mark of 50 against Oklahoma City on April 10, 2022. It also was the worst loss in Nets’ history, eclipsing a 52-point defeat to Houston on Oct. 18, 1978.
The Nets were without Cam Thomas, Cameron Johnson, D’Angelo Russell and Ben Simmons, among others.
“They were missing a few of their starters,” Leonard said, “so when guys come in and you’re [not] really knowing [the] offense or defense, it could get like that. … So it’s understandable.”
“When you see a loss like this, a lot of things went wrong,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said. “Obviously, the energy and competitive spirit was not there, plain and simple. But right now, the only thing I can do is support my guys.”
“It felt good, but like I said before, I’m taking my time and just because [I’m] making shots [doesn’t] mean anything — to me, at least,” he said. “It’s about how I’m moving and feeling and, like I said before, I was feeling well in the first few games and still going to be a moving progress for me.”
Leonard logged a season-high 24 minutes as he took part in his fourth game since coming back from a knee injury.
