Sports
The Los Angeles Clippers Were Finished Until Kawhi Leonard Took Over
The hottest team in the NBA was left for dead around the holidays, looking old and slow with a window as a contender seemingly closed.
Barely a month later, the Clippers have managed to become the comeback story of the year. And yet getting that revival to complete feel-good status remains a work in progress.
Drama enveloped the Clippers early. In October, the NBA began to investigate a report that the team had circumvented the salary cap by compensating star forward Kawhi Leonard through an outside sponsorship deal. The investigation continues.
By early December, their reunion with former star Chris Paul soured and he was sent home from a road trip with the team no longer having a use for his services. Paul’s locker remains but sits empty each game night.
On the court, it was even more embarrassing. The Clippers won just six times over their first 27 games, with 10 of those games coming without Leonard because of more injury issues. While knee pain has railroaded Leonard in recent years, he was slowed by foot and ankle pain this year.
When the Clippers lost 121-101 at Oklahoma City on Dec. 18, they were on a five-game losing streak with losses in 10 of their last 11 games. What followed next was improbable.
On Dec. 20, Clippers blogger and podcaster Robert Flom was at his wit’s end. “If they go 15-3 in any stretch this season I will print and eat this tweet,” Flom posted to X.
Leonard has said he didn’t know anything about the tweet, even as fans in the rowdy “The Wall” section of the two-year-old Intuit Dome chanted “Eat the tweet” last week. But Leonard sure played like a man on a mission.
Starting with their 103-88 victory over the cross-town Los Angeles Lakers shortly after the tweet appeared, the Clippers not only went on a 15-3 run — they added a 16th victory in the stretch with a 115-103 win at Utah on Tuesday.
Once desperate for victories, Tuesday’s triumph over the Jazz was about revenge. After all, the Clippers’ early-season mess started with an uncompetitive 129-108 loss at Utah on opening night.
From hopeless to vengeful, all in a short period of time, is the arc of cinema.
A 6-21 start seemed like the signal to tank and maximize their first-round draft pick. But the Clippers did not have that option. The champion Thunder own L.A.’s first-round pick following the unfulfilling Paul George trade before the 2019-20 season.
Making matters worse is that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also went to the Thunder in the deal.
This season, the Clippers actually have nothing to lose for.
With Leonard back to full strength, the game plan from head coach Tyronn Lue was to lean into the six-time All-Star like never before. On defense, a frenetic new approach — while playing without big man Ivica Zubac for a stretch — awakened the team.
Leonard’s game has always operated with a team-wide approach. Sure, he scored, but he was just as inclined to get others involved. Even with the Clippers, while playing alongside James Harden and Zubac, Leonard had been just as willing to pass as to score.
A quicker tempo on offense now has Leonard leading the charge. His 8.6 attempts from three-point range over the team’s recent run of success is well above his 4.3 career mark and his 6.0 number over his first 17 games of the season.
Since Dec. 20, Leonard is scoring 31.1 points per game. It has him up to 27.9 on the season, ahead of his 27.1 mark in 2019-20 when he first joined the Clippers and his 21.2 mark in 2015-16 with the San Antonio Spurs, when he finished second in MVP voting.
Harden has settled into 19.3 points per game since Dec. 20 as the team’s secondary scoring threat. It is below his season average of 25.4 points. He has also improved to 3.3 turnovers a game during the run, as opposed to 3.9 over his first 25 games.
Now comes the hard part. The Clippers are not young. Only recently have fresh faces like Jordan Miller, Kobe Sanders and Yanic Konan Niederhauser been asked to make significant contributions. Young energy has been refreshing.
But the veterans make it go. Can Leonard, at 34, keep delivering with a heavy load? Can Harden, at 36, continue to run the offense? Zubac is still 28, but three-point threat Nico Batum is 37.
Almost at .500 for the first time this season, the Clippers will continue to press their luck and step on the gas. They have no other choice.
And for the record, Flom printed the tweet and ate it Monday during an episode of the Clips N Dip podcast, even after Leonard doubted the health benefits.
Sports
Washington ends skid against short-handed Minnesota
Feb 14, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies guard Courtland Muldrew (30) shoots the ball against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Hannes Steinbach scored 26 points on 12-of-17 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds as Washington snapped a three-game skid with a 69-57 Big Ten Conference victory against short-handed Minnesota on Saturday night in Seattle.
Zoom Diallo added 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting with four assists for the Huskies (13-13, 5-10).
Cade Tyson scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Golden Gophers (11-14, 4-10), who lost for the ninth time in their past 10 games. Because of injuries, Minnesota had just six scholarship players available. Bobby Durkin scored 13 and Isaac Asuma added 11.
The Huskies shot 63.0% from the field (29 of 46), while limiting Minnesota to 42.9% (21 of 49), with more than half of those attempts coming from 3-point range (7 of 28). Washington had a 44-26 edge in points in the paint, 10-0 in bench scoring and 14-4 in fast-break points.
There were 10 lead changes before the Huskies closed the first half with a 14-0 run over the final 3:57 to turn a one-point deficit into a 39-26 lead.
A 3-pointer from the top of the lane by a wide-open Durkin gave the Golden Gophers a 26-25 lead, causing Washington coach Danny Sprinkle to call a timeout.
The Huskies got the message, holding Minnesota to 0-for-4 shooting and forcing four turnovers the rest of the half.
A step-back jumper in the lane by Courtland Muldrew sparked the Huskies’ closing run. Steinbach followed with a driving layup off a turnover and Franck Kepnang made a jumper in the lane off an offensive rebound.
Muldrew blocked a 3-point attempt by Isaac Asuma and made a layup off a pass from Steinbach on the fast break.
Two free throws by Yates, a turnaround jumper by Kepnang and a tip-in by Steinbach on the fast break following another turnover closed the half.
Grayson Grove, the lone big man available for Minnesota, picked up his second foul with 12:34 left in the first half, leaving the Golden Gophers with a five-guard lineup.
Fifth-year senior Maximus Gizzi, who enrolled at Minnesota after starring at NAIA schools Marian and Huntington, appeared for eight minutes in the first half and 11 overall. Gizzi had made six previous appearances this season, totaling 14 minutes. Gizzi got his first rebound and second steal of the season but shot an airball on his lone 3-point attempt.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 3 South Carolina extends dominance of No. 6 LSU with road win
Zakiyah Johnson 11, LSU Tigers Women’s Basketball take on the South Carolina Gamecocks at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA. Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. Tessa Johnson scored a season-high 21 points as No. 3 South Carolina beat No. 6 LSU 79-72 on Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.
Johnson shot 4-of-5 from 3-point land to power the Gamecocks (25-2, 11-1 Southeastern Conference) to their sixth straight win. Raven Johnson scored a career-best 19 points for South Carolina and also tallied seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Madina Okot added a double-double of 12 points and 17 boards, while Joyce Edwards chipped in 10 points.
In defeat, the Tigers (22-4, 8-4) were paced by Flau’jae Johnson’s 21 points and eight rebounds, while Mikaylah Williams added 11 points.
Facing her former team, LSU guard MiLaysia Fulwiley — who won a national championship with South Carolina two years ago — finished with just six points on 1-of-8 shooting. She also had four steals, four rebounds and three assists.
It was South Carolina’s 18th consecutive victory over LSU, and the win also made Gamecocks’ coach Dawn Staley the fourth in SEC history to win 500 games along with Tennessee’s Pat Summitt, Georgia’s Andy Landers and Auburn’s Joe Ciampi.
LSU led by as many as six points in the first half, but Tessa Johnson scored 11 points in the second frame – sinking a trio of 3-pointers – to push the Gamecocks ahead by a single point at the break.
South Carolina then opened the third quarter with a 9-2 run, bookended by layups from Edwards. That gave the Gamecocks their largest lead of the game at eight points.
Flau’jae Johnson kept LSU in the game late, scoring seven points and grabbing four offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter. With about 45 seconds to play, she drew the call that fouled out Edwards for South Carolina and – trailing by just one point – went to the charity stripe with the chance to take the lead for the Tigers. But both of Johnson’s free-throw attempts were off the mark.
On South Carolina’s next possession, Raven Johnson killed some clock before driving inside and dishing to Okot, who sank a close-range shot to push the Gamecocks’ advantage to three points with 25 seconds to go.
On the next possession, Flau’jae Johnson missed a would-be game-tying 3-pointer for LSU. Okot hit two free throws and Raven Johnson flushed two more in the game’s final moments to seal the victory for South Carolina.
Prior to the start of the game, the selection committee for the women’s NCAA Tournament unveiled its projection of the top 16 seeds. South Carolina was slotted in as the third No. 1 seed, while LSU was the fourth No. 2 seed. Currently, six SEC teams are projected to host games during the opening weekend of March Madness, tied with the Big Ten for the most in the country.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 3 South Carolina holds off No. 6 LSU
Marquette Golden Eagles guard Jordan Meulemans (20) and guard Bridget Utberg (7) fights for position against UConn Huskies forward Sarah Strong (21) and guard Ashlynn Shade (12) during the fourth quarter of the game on Saturday February 14, 2026 at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Tessa Johnson scored a season-high 21 points as No. 3 South Carolina beat No. 6 LSU 79-72 on Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.
Johnson shot 4-of-5 from 3-point land to power the Gamecocks (25-2, 11-1 Southeastern Conference) to their sixth straight win overall and 18th in a row over the Tigers (22-4, 8-4).
Raven Johnson scored a career-best 19 points for South Carolina and also tallied seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Madina Okot added a double-double of 12 points and 17 boards, while Joyce Edwards chipped in 10 points. With the win, head coach Dawn Staley became just the fourth coach in SEC history win 500 games.
LSU (22-4, 8-4) was paced by Flau’jae Johnson’s 21 points and eight rebounds, while Mikaylah Williams added 11 points. LSU guard MiLaysia Fulwiley — who won a national championship with South Carolina two years ago — finished with just six points on 1-of-8 shooting.
No. 1 UConn 71, Marquette 56
Azzi Fudd scored 25 points and Sarah Strong had 22 as the Huskies continued their undefeated season with a win over the Golden Eagles in Milwaukee.
Fudd knocked down five 3-pointers, while Strong had three steals and three blocks to lead the Huskies (27-0, 16-0 Big East). KK Arnold added 10 points, six rebounds and a career-best nine assists.
Lee Volker scored 15 points and Skylar Forbes chipped in 14 to pace the Golden Eagles (16-10, 10-7). Marquette jumped out to briefly lead by five, but the Huskies outscored the Golden Eagles 36-19 for the remainder of the first half and held their double-digit advantage through the final buzzer.
Oklahoma State 75, No. 16 Texas Tech 65
Jadyn Wooten scored 16 points off the bench to guide the Cowgirls to an upset victory over the Red Raiders at home in Stillwater, Okla.
Wooten also had seven assists and was one of five players to score in double figures for Oklahoma State (20-7, 9-5 Big 12). Amari Whiting collected 13 points and 11 rebounds, Achol Akot also scored 13 points and Stailee Heard and Haleigh Timmer each had 12 apiece.
Bailey Maupin scored 19 points for Texas Tech (23-4, 10-4) and Snudda Collins added 18.
After trailing by a point at the end of the first quarter, the Cowgirls outscored the Red Raiders 22-9 in the second frame and led for the rest of the game. Oklahoma State — which led by 17 at one point — won the rebounding battle by 10 and shot 8 of 16 from 3-point land.
No. 24 Princeton 59, Cornell 38
Madison St. Rose scored 15 points to help the visiting Tigers defeat the Big Red in Ithaca, N.Y.
Skye Belker scored 12 points and Fadima Tall added 11 for Princeton (20-3, 8-2 Ivy League). It was a bounce-back win for the Tigers, who lost on the road at Columbia on Friday night. Princeton has now won at least 20 games in 15 of its last 16 seasons.
Clarke Jackson and Paige Engels each scored eight points for Cornell (8-15, 3-7).
The Big Red led by as much as 10 points in the second half, but the Tigers blitzed Cornell with a 23-5 third quarter to overcome that deficit and take the lead. Princeton scored 13 points off 20 Cornell turnovers.
–Field Level Media
Washington ends skid against short-handed Minnesota
Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 15, 2026
