Kawhi Leonard hits Summer-Beater to lift clippers past the kings in OT as coach Ty Lue Misses Competition with back pain

It took a Kawhi Leonard game winner, but Los Angeles Clippers survived on Sunday night at the Intuit Dome.

Leonard hit a short jumper from the block as the time expired to lift Clippers to a 111-110 overtime gain against Sacramento Kings on Sunday. After a tight matchup all the way, DeMar Derozan set up the kings with a single point with about 20 seconds left in the extra period with a couple of free kicks.

Leonard, as time started ticking down, started his move to the basket. He slowly supported kings forward Keegan Murray down the field, crossed to the opposite post and threw a perfect left -handed shot that jumped on the edge twice before falling. It was perfect and triggered a huge party at the arena.

Leonard had 17 points and four rebounds in the victory for Clippers and shot only 1-of-7 behind the arch. James Harden just got shy for a triple double with 29 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 14 rebounds.

Clippers won the game without head coach Ty Lue, who left the Intuit Dome early on Sunday due to back pain. Further details are not yet known, although Lue was with the team to their shots and participated in his media session before the game normally before traveling.

Lue, 47, is in his fifth season as Clippers’ head coach. He was hired prior to the 2020-21 campaign after spending a year on the staff as an assistant, and he went in Sunday night with a 218-163 record with the organization. Clippers was led by assistant Brian Shaw in Lue’s absence on Sunday night.

Derozan led the kings with 31 points and 10 assists, and Zach Lavine added 30 points. Murray ended with 15 points and Center Jonas Valanciunas had 17 rebounds to go with his nine points. The loss dropped Kings to 33-30 a year.

It’s unclear how long the hat will be away from Clippers. The team is traveling to take on New Orleans Pelican’s next Tuesday, which is the start of a three-game road trip. While the time of his back injury is not great, Clippers still got the job done without him on Sunday night.