Kawhi Leonard delivered 38 points, Montrezl Harrell chipped in 24 and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated San Antonio 103-97 on Thursday to knock the Spurs off their undefeated perch.
Leonard, who did not dress for Wednesday’s game at Utah so he could rest, also grabbed 12 rebounds for his first double-double this season.
“I have the heart of a champion and I just tried to stay focused,” said Leonard, who played seven seasons with the Spurs from 2011 to 2018.
Leonard has now scored 30 or more points in three of his first five games with the Clippers, who he signed with as a free agent during the offseason.
DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points and Derrick White added 20 for the Spurs, who suffered their first loss of the young season dropping to 3-1.
After so much time with the Spurs, Leonard’s relationship with the team eventually deteriorated. He was traded in July 2018 to the Toronto Raptors in a deal that sent DeRozan to Texas.
Leonard went on to lead the Raptors to their first NBA title last season in a six-game victory against the defending champion Golden State Warriors. But the title wasn’t enough to keep Leonard in Toronto.
The Spurs were eliminated in the first round last year by the Denver Nuggets.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers said Leonard didn’t develop into one of the best players in the league by accident. He is one of the hardest working players on and off the court in the NBA.
“From where he started from to where he is at now is amazing,” said Rivers of Leonard who had 25 points in the second half. “Every young player who has a chance to see the work, should understand you don’t get better without the work.”
Los Angeles seized control of the contest with a 9-1 run to take a 64-55 lead with 6:55 remaining in the third quarter.
Leonard scored five of his 10 third-quarter points during the rally, including stealing the ball off DeRozan and going in for a dunk.
San Antonio got within five at the end of the third quarter before the Clippers scored 11 of the first 13 points in the fourth quarter. San Antonio clawed their way back to make it 97-93 late in the fourth but the Clippers held on for the win.


Okafor’s 26 leads
Pelicans over Nuggets
Jahlil Okafor scored 26 points as the host New Orleans Pelicans got their first victory of the season, defeating the Denver Nuggets 122-107 on Thursday night.
Okafor, making his second consecutive start with starting center Derrick Favors sidelined by knee soreness, made 8 of 13 shots to become the first Pelican other than Brandon Ingram to lead the team in scoring this season. Ingram finished with 25.
Frank Jackson came off the bench to add 21 points, knocking down four 3-pointers, and Jrue Holiday, returning from a two-game absence due to a sprained knee, had 19 points, five rebounds and seven assists.
New Orleans, which had seen its previous four opponents average 11 more free-throw attempts per game, made 25 of 32 free throws while the Nuggets, losing their second straight game after starting the season with three victories, made 14 of 16.
Michael Porter Jr., who made his NBA debut after missing his entire rookie season a year ago because of a knee injury, came off the bench to lead the Nuggets with 15 points. Jamal Murray and Jerami Grant scored 14 points apiece, Nikola Jokic added 13, Malik Beasley scored 11 while Paul Millsap and Mason Plumlee had 10 each.
Holiday started the third-quarter scoring by making a 3-pointer and Lonzo Ball added another as the Pelicans quickly stretched their four-point halftime lead to 64-54.
New Orleans led by as many as 14 points, but Grant’s short jumper beat the quarter buzzer and got the Nuggets within 86-75 after three periods.
Denver scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, but 3-pointers by Jackson and Josh Hart completed an 8-0 run that gave the Pelicans a 94-80 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
The Pelicans, who had allowed an NBA-worst 128.2 points per game coming in, led by as many as 22 points down the stretch. Their victory left 0-5 Sacramento as the last winless team in the NBA.
The Pelicans shot 60% (12-for-20) from the floor, including 45.5% (5-for-11) on 3-pointers to take a 32-30 lead after the first quarter.
New Orleans reached a season-high 20 fast-break points less than 15 minutes into the game and took a 56-52 halftime lead.