The new duo is looking pretty good so far in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Clippers keep rolling, and their newest addition is loving every second of it.
After the Clippers blew out the Minnesota Timberwolves 153-128 on Wednesday night at the Intuit Dome, Darius Garland could not hide how much fun he is having playing alongside Kawhi Leonard.
"I became a fan when I was on the opposite side. Just to see him just go to work like that… it's great to see," Garland said after the win. "I'm just happy we got the same jersey on now instead of being on the opposite side of the ball from him. So yeah, I'm super happy to be able to run the floor with him a little bit, sway the ball as much as I can and just watch him go to work."
Kawhi Put on a Show
It is easy to see why Garland feels that way after watching what Leonard did on Wednesday night.
Leonard went off for 45 points on 15-of-20 shooting, drilled six of his nine three-point attempts and hit nine of his 10 free throws in under 32 minutes of action.
It was his fifth 40-point game of the season, and he joins Bob McAdoo and World B. Free as the only players in franchise history with at least five such games in a single year.
Leonard is putting together a special season at age 34, averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 49.8 percent shooting from the field.
Garland also had himself a night, finishing with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting while knocking down five of his nine threes and dishing out six assists.
A Duo That's Clicking Fast
Since Garland was traded to the Clippers from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for James Harden back in February, Los Angeles has been waiting to see what this pairing could look like at full strength.
After missing time with a lingering toe injury, Garland finally made his first start on March 7, and the Clippers have gone 3-0 since then with Garland in the starting lineup.
Over those three starts, Garland has averaged 21.7 points and 6.3 assists per game, and head coach Tyronn Lue has been working to figure out the best way to stagger their minutes so both stars can thrive.
What stands out is how willing Garland has been to let Leonard take the lead while still making a big impact on his own, and that balance is a big reason the team has been so hard to beat lately.
A Historic Turnaround
The win pushed the Clippers to 33-32 on the season and above .500 for the first time all year, which is a wild thing to say about a team that started 6-21.
They became the first team in NBA history to move above .500 after being 15 games below that mark in the same season, and they are now 27-11 since December 20 with a 6-1 record in March.
The Timberwolves, who dropped to 40-26 after losing three straight, had no answers for the Clippers' offense on Wednesday as Los Angeles shot 63.4 percent from the field and hit 19 threes.
Minnesota committed 21 turnovers that the Clippers turned into easy points, and even though Anthony Edwards scored 36 points in the loss, it was never really close down the stretch.
Garland has talked about just wanting to win games since arriving in Los Angeles, and the early results with him and Leonard sharing the court have been better than anyone could have expected.
If they can keep this up, the Clippers might end up being one of the scariest teams in the Western Conference come playoff time.