Clippers Fall to Cavaliers Despite Kawhi Leonard's Return

The Los Angeles Clippers saw the return of Kawhi Leonard on Sunday night, but it wasn't enough to overcome Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who handed the Clippers a 120-105 defeat at Rocket Arena.

Leonard made his first appearance in 10 games after missing time with a sprained right ankle and foot, contributing 20 points in 28 minutes of action.

The two-time Finals MVP showed flashes of his usual form but acknowledged the team needs time to find their rhythm together. His return provided a boost to a Clippers squad that had gone just 2-8 without him, but Cleveland's balanced attack and hot shooting proved too much to handle.

Mitchell took over when it mattered most and led all scorers with 37 points while adding eight rebounds and six assists, helping the Cavaliers improve to 12-6 on the season.

Evan Mobley posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and De'Andre Hunter chipped in 17 points as Cleveland finished their six-game homestand with a 4-2 record.

Clippers Struggle Despite Strong Frontcourt Performance

For the Clippers, Ivica Zubac put together a monster performance with 33 points and 18 rebounds, coming just two points shy of his career high.

However, James Harden couldn't follow up his franchise-record 55-point explosion from Saturday night's win over Charlotte, finishing with just 19 points while missing all eight of his three-point attempts.

The loss dropped Los Angeles to 5-12 on the season, leaving them 13th in the competitive Western Conference standings.

Head coach Tyronn Lue has been preaching patience throughout the team's struggles and emphasized the importance of staying focused on improvement rather than dwelling on their rough start.

"Just stay with it," Lue said when asked about his message to Clippers fans recently. "It's not about how you start, it's about how you finish, and so when we get some more guys back, it could be a different story."

What's Next for the Clippers

The road doesn't get any easier for the struggling Clippers, who now face a crucial matchup against their crosstown rivals. Los Angeles will travel to face the Lakers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena in an NBA Cup Group Play game that tips off at 11 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.

After the Lakers game, the Clippers return home to Intuit Dome for back-to-back contests against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday and the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.

The team will look to build chemistry with Leonard back in the lineup and turn around what has been a disappointing start to their season, especially after lineup question marks throughout the early part of the season.

With Leonard now healthy and Harden capable of putting up historic scoring nights, the Clippers have the talent to turn things around, but they'll need to find consistency on both ends of the floor if they hope to climb back into playoff contention in the loaded Western Conference.