The LA Clippers fell to 5-15 with their loss to the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night at Intuit Dome. With Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and other key rotation players sidelined, the Mavericks handed LA its fourth straight loss and second in as many nights.
Playing both ends of a back-to-back for the first time this season, Kawhi Leonard followed his 39-point performance against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday with a 30-point showing against Dallas on Saturday. He was limited to just 29 minutes in both games, which proved costly.
After losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, Leonard told reporters he wanted to see his minutes increased.
“I feel good,” he said. “Hopefully we can build some minutes. Because this team needs it. Probably gonna have to up our minutes to get some wins. All of us. So we’ll see what happens.”
Kawhi Leonard when asked how he feels:
“I feel good. Hopefully we can build some minutes. Because this team needs it. Probably gonna have to up our minutes to get some wins. All of us. So we’ll see what happens.” pic.twitter.com/hLtDpjqSUU
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) November 26, 2025
Leonard missed 10 games after suffering an ankle and foot sprain on Nov. 3 against the Miami Heat. In the four games since his return, the Clippers have limited him to 28 minutes per contest. They’ve won his minutes in three of those four games, yet haven’t managed a single win.
In their loss to Memphis on Friday, a game in which the Clippers led by 16 points, Leonard was forced to take a three-minute rest midway through the fourth quarter. When he exited with 7:29 remaining, the Clippers trailed 93-91. When he reentered at the 4:16 mark, Memphis led 103-95.
“It’s tough,” Lue said after the game when asked about Leonard’s minutes restriction. “But we have to do what we have to do to make sure we’re doing right by Kawhi… It is what it is. We knew coming into the game what he was gonna play.”
Clippers’ Depth Continues to be Non-Existent
Saturday’s loss followed a similar script. The Clippers again won Leonard’s 29 minutes, but a brief fourth-quarter rest saw the lead change hands. Checking out with 6:33 remaining, Leonard exited with LA ahead 94-91. He returned at the 2:29 mark to a 101-100 Dallas advantage. That four-point swing ended up being the difference in a 114-110 victory for the Mavericks — just their sixth all year.
When asked about being stuck at 29 minutes despite his stated desire to play more, Leonard said, “It doesn’t matter about that. They’re missing their star players and we can’t get a win. We gotta do it collectively, like I’ve said before. It’s all 15 [players].”
Leonard delivered a similar answer when asked specifically about the late-game swings that have taken place when he is forced to sit for even just a few minutes.
“Like I said, it’s not about that,” he said. “Especially, it depends what we’re trying to do. If we’re trying to win a championship we need everybody. It’s not about the minutes played or any of that. We’re up in these games, we should be able to close it out.”
Kawhi Leonard on being stuck at 29 minutes after saying he wanted his minutes increased:
“It doesn’t matter about that. They’re missing their star players and we can’t get a win…”
On the Clippers losing leads when he sits:
“Like I said, it’s not about that… If we’re trying… pic.twitter.com/OfUjjWgpgH
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) November 30, 2025
Leonard’s comments say a lot about this Clippers team. They had five total bench points on Saturday, all from Kobe Brown. If they can’t hold leads against Memphis and Dallas at home, they clearly have deeper problems than a minutes restriction. And by all accounts that is the case.
Clippers’ Offseason Largely to Blame for 5-15 Start
While injury misfortune has been a factor, this dynamic starts with LA going 0-for-4 in the offseason. Brought in to fill Norman Powell’s starting shooting guard spot, Bradley Beal played six games (all on a minutes restriction) before suffering a season-ending hip injury.
Chris Paul, who was acquired to relieve James Harden of some of his ball-handling duties, has the team’s worst on/off swing by a significant margin. The Clippers have been outscored by 17.2 points per 100 possessions in his minutes.
Brook Lopez, who was given a two-year, $17.9 million deal (2026-27 team option) to be the backup center LA has long been missing, has already been removed from Lue’s rotation after just 17 games.
Los Angeles Clippers center Brook Lopez (11) on the bench during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at Intuit Dome. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Clippers’ other big move this summer was trading Norman Powell for John Collins. While Collins turned in his best offensive showing of the season on Saturday, scoring 21 points on 9-for-10 shooting, his fit has been less than seamless. LA is just 2-9 in his 11 starts, and he is averaging career-lows in several different categories. Meanwhile, Powell is averaging 24.7 points in Miami — and while the Clippers moving him was more about his looming free agency than anything else, his production is sorely missed by the league’s 20th-ranked offense.
All of this aligns with Leonard’s postgame comments on Saturday. The Clippers’ problems are deeper than anything a few more minutes from their best player can fix. If a combined 69 points on consecutive nights from Leonard isn’t enough to beat this version of the Grizzlies and Mavericks, then the Clippers might just be a bad NBA team.
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