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A huge night of individual performances shaped three key NBA results, as Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes and Luka Doncic produced standout games that shifted momentum for the Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers, with each team ending worrying runs against struggling but competitive opponents.
Their combined efforts delivered high scoring, major rebounding milestones and important streak changes, with veteran-heavy Clippers extending a winning surge, Toronto ending a home slide in overtime, and the Lakers finally halting a difficult spell that included a heavy Christmas Day defeat.
Leonard delivered the biggest individual return, setting a career-best 55 points in the Clippers’ 112-99 home win over the Detroit Pistons, while
also adding 11 rebounds and five steals as Los Angeles stretched a revived streak to four games after previously dropping 10 of 11.
The Clippers leaned heavily on experience, starting five players in their 30s, including Kris Dunn at 31 and Leonard at 34, while James Harden scored 28 points and Nicolas Batum contributed 12, with Harden, Batum and Brook Lopez all aged 36 or older in a veteran-heavy lineup.
Leonard was efficient from everywhere, going 17 of 26 from the field, knocking down 5 of 10 from three-point range and hitting 16 of 17 free throws, with a third-quarter miss ending a personal streak of 64 consecutive made free throws across earlier December games.
The forward exploded after half-time, scoring 26 points in the third quarter alone, while Detroit’s Eastern Conference-leading group saw Cade Cunningham finish with 27 points after first-half foul trouble left Cunningham scoreless before the break, supported by Jalen Duren’s 18 points and 14 rebounds and Jaden Ivey’s 11 points.
KAWHI LEONARD 50-POINT GAME pic.twitter.com/vJVdL4CxLK LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 29, 2025
In Toronto, Barnes produced a major all-round display, finishing with 23 points, a career-best 25 rebounds and 10 assists for the seventh triple-double of Barnes’ career, matching Bismack Biyombo’s 2016 Raptors record for rebounds in a single game during a 141-127 overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Toronto’s scoring load was shared around Barnes’ work, as Immanuel Quickley posted 27 points, Brandon Ingram added 26 and JaKobe Walter recorded a season-high 18, while the win also ended a five-game home losing streak that had increased pressure on the Raptors’ recent form.
Stephen Curry kept Golden State competitive with 39 points, including 14 in the third quarter, but failed to score in overtime, while Draymond Green added 21 points and Jimmy Butler contributed 19, yet the Warriors again lacked late-game answers against a Toronto side that controlled the extra period.
Toronto also welcomed RJ Barrett back after a 15-game layoff, with Barrett contributing 12 points in 24 minutes as the Raptors gained depth around Barnes’ first triple-double of the season and used the extended rotation to handle the Warriors’ experienced core across regulation and overtime.
CAREER-HIGH ON THE GLASS 25 boards for @ScottBarnes561 ALL-STAR STUFF https://t.co/hBrcYmT62a pic.twitter.com/2fZ7VjYNk8 Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 29, 2025
Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, Luka Doncic headline Lakers, Raptors, Clippers victories
Doncic led the Lakers’ response against the Sacramento Kings, scoring 34 points in a 125-101 win that ended a three-game losing streak, with Los Angeles also having dropped four of the previous six, each defeat coming by at least 13 points, including a 23-point loss to Houston on Christmas Day.
LeBron James supported Doncic with 24 points, while Nick Smith Jr. added 21 off the bench, giving the Lakers vital scoring depth that had been missing in recent weeks, as the team finally found defensive control against a Kings side that has struggled to link wins this season.
For Sacramento, DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points and Maxime Raynaud contributed 16, with six Kings players reaching double figures, yet the visitors again failed to build sustained momentum and have managed consecutive victories only once so far in the campaign, underlining season-long inconsistency.
The three performances from Leonard, Barnes and Doncic reshaped the night’s narrative, with veteran Clippers consolidating their recovery, the Raptors stabilising at home and the Lakers easing recent pressure, while several leading Eastern and Western Conference teams continue searching for consistent answers on both ends of the court.
