5-game win streak proves the Clippers are back

Once upon a time, the 2025-26 Los Angeles Clippers began the season having lost 21 of their first 27 games. A 6-21 record would have been perfectly acceptable for any tanking team. But the Clippers have been up against the clock since 2019, and they continue to owe the Oklahoma City Thunder first-round picks thanks to the fateful Paul George trade. This was not acceptable whatsoever; in fact, one could argue that the Clippers were reaching nuclear levels of panic.

But the Clippers have proceeded to win 12 of their next 14 games since then, with Kawhi Leonard turning into a prime Michael Jordan/Scottie Pippen hybrid and James Harden finally receiving some help on the offensive end after nearly being ground into dust by the workload he was carrying to start the season.

LA is now in the middle of a five-game winning streak, and they have risen all the way to 10th in the West after rubbing elbows with the likes of the Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, and New Orleans Pelicans earlier in the season.

They are even coming off a 121-117 win over the Toronto Raptors on the road even though Leonard got the night off ahead of a two-day break for the Clippers.

Some may be wondering whether or not this hot stretch from the Clippers is legitimate or whether this is a mirage and they’re simply taking advantage of a weaker schedule. But here’s why one must believe in the legitimacy of this stretch from LA as they look to climb over the .500 mark and make the Western Conference playoff picture that much more crowded.

Kawhi Leonard is playing at an MVP level

We are starting with the most obvious reason as to why the Clippers are legitimate: Leonard himself is. Of the Clippers’ first 27 games of the season, Leonard missed 10 of them, preventing LA from getting into any rhythm whatsoever. He wasn’t quite at his typical superstar level yet when he returned on the 23rd of November, but he was ramping up — and even amidst the losses, he was rounding into form.

But from the 20th of December onwards, Leonard has elevated his game into another stratosphere. He’s more aggressive in finding his shots and more confident in drilling them than ever before. During the Clippers’ 12-2 stretch, Leonard has averaged 32.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on 51/44/92 shooting splits. Those numbers are worthy of MVP consideration, especially when LA has been the best team in the NBA, record-wise, during than span.

It’s quite a miracle that Leonard, at age 34, is playing his best basketball yet. It did not look like he would reach apex levels again for his career amid all the knee problems he’s had to deal with, but here he is, logging heavy minutes and being productive every step of the way for a Clippers team that’s needed every bit of juice they can get from their best player.

Leonard being this good means that the Clippers have a chance on any given night against any given team.

Clippers did this amid injury troubles

This season has not been easy for the Clippers on the injury front. A lot of the players they expected would contribute a lot for the team have been struck by the injury bug. Ivica Zubac was one of them. He might be back now, but there was a ton of concern that LA would find it even more difficult to climb out of the hole they dug themselves in without their starting center.

Instead, the Clippers leaned into more of a five-out offense with Brook Lopez at the five, giving Leonard and Harden ample space to operate. There’s no coincidence that LA has posted the second-best offensive rating in the NBA since the 20th of December, as they are getting better quality shots.

And it’s not like Zubac’s absence led to poorer defense from the Clippers. They have even improved on that end, posting the seventh-best defense in the NBA during their 12-2 stretch. As a result, LA has the best net rating since the 20th of December, indicating that they’re not lucking into these wins.

Derrick Jones Jr. is also back on the mend. Bogdan Bogdanovic remains out. Bradley Beal is out for the season. Even John Collins did not play at all (a healthy scratch) during their win over the Raptors on Thursday. And yet the Clippers keep winning.

Pillow-soft schedule awaits LA

The worst part is now over for the Clippers; they have the seventh-easiest schedule in the NBA moving forward, according to Tankathon, and that should set them up for a sizzling finish to the 2025-26 campaign.

LA also has a few assets they could part with to bring in an impactful player (Coby White perhaps?) for the looming stretch run. They are yet to fully resolve the Chris Paul situation. Suffice to say, the Clippers have a few avenues they could explore in their never-ending quest to improve the roster.

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