Clippers rout Nets 126-67 for largest margin of victory in team history

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points, James Harden added 21 and the Los Angeles Clippers had the largest margin of victory in franchise history, routing the Brooklyn Nets 126-67 on Wednesday night.

The Clippers broke the team margin mark of 50 against Oklahoma City on April 10, 2022. It also was the worst loss in Nets' history, eclipsing a 52-point defeat to Houston on Oct. 18, 1978.

LA's largest lead was 64 points midway through the fourth quarter, despite coach Tyronn Lue emptying his bench late in the third quarter.

Leonard logged a season-high 24 minutes as he took part in his fourth game since coming back from a knee injury.

Jalen Wilson led the Nets with 16 points and Day’Ron Sharpe had 12. Brooklyn has dropped five of six.

Norman Powell added 18 points for the Clippers, who led 58-35 at halftime before opening the third quarter with by scoring the first 13 points en route to a 29-3 run. At the end of the quarter, LA had a 102-51 advantage.

Nets: Noah Clowney was ejected with 9:55 remaining in the fourth quarter after picking up his second technical foul.

Clippers: Terance Mann did not play in the second half due to left calf soreness. Mann scored five points in eight minutes during the first half.

The Clippers trailed 25-24 with 10:07 remaining in the second quarter before going on a 21-4 run over the next 5:35. Leonard scored eight points and Amir Coffey five as LA took control.

The Clippers shot 54.4% from the field (43 of 79) while the Nets were at 30.5% (25 of 82), including 5 of 27 on 3-pointers.

The Clippers are at Portland on Thursday night, while the Nets remain in Southern California to face the Lakers on Friday night.

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Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Brooklyn Nets forward Tosan Evbuomwan gestures after scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr., left, dunks as Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Brooklyn Nets forward Jalen Wilson, left, shoots as Los Angeles Clippers guard Terance Mann defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden, left, and Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson go after a rebound during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, takes a pass as Brooklyn Nets guard Reece Beekman defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones blasted apartment buildings and the power grid in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa in an overnight attack that injured six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said Wednesday.

Four apartment buildings were damaged in the bombardment, according to regional military administration head Oleh Kiper. Power company DTEK said two of its energy facilities suffered significant damage. The company said that 10 substations that distribute electricity in the Odesa region were damaged in December alone.

Russia has this year escalated its long-range attacks on urban areas of Ukraine. In recent months, as Russia’s invasion of its neighbor approaches its four-year milestone in February, it has also intensified its targeting of energy infrastructure, seeking to deny Ukrainians heat and running water in the bitter winter months.

From January to November this year, more than 2,300 Ukrainian civilians were killed and more than 11,000 were injured, the United Nations said earlier this month. That was 26% higher than in the same period in 2024 and 70% higher than in 2023, it said.

Russia’s sustained drone and missile attacks have taken place against backdrop of renewed diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting.

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Florida resort on Sunday and announced that a settlement is “closer than ever before." The Ukrainian leader is due to hold talks next week with the heads of European governments supporting his efforts to secure acceptable terms.

The ongoing attacks, meantime, are inflaming tensions.

The overnight Odesa strikes “are further evidence of the enemy’s terror tactics, which deliberately target civilian infrastructure,” Kiper, the regional head, said.

Moscow has alleged that Ukraine attempted to attack Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in northwestern Russia with 91 long-range drones late Sunday and early Monday. Ukrainian officials deny the claim and say it’s a ruse to derail progress in the peace negotiations.

Maj. Gen. Alexander Romanenkov of the Russian air force claimed Wednesday that the drones took off from Ukraine’s Sumy and Chernihiv regions.

At a briefing where no questions were allowed, he presented a map showing the drone flight routes before they were downed by Russian air defenses over the Bryansk, Tver, Smolensk and Novgorod regions.

It was not possible to independently verify the reports.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, on Wednesday called the Russian allegations “a deliberate distraction” from the peace talks.

“No one should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraine’s infrastructure and civilians since the start of the war,” Kallas posted on X.

Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Romania and Croatia are the latest countries to join a fund that buys weapons for Ukraine from the United States. The financial arrangement, known as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, pools contributions from NATO members, except the United States, to purchase American weapons, munitions and equipment.

Since it was established in August, 24 countries are now contributing to the fund, according to Zelenskyy. The fund has so far received $4.3 billion, with almost $1.5 billion coming in December alone, he said on social media.

Ukraine’s air force said Wednesday that Russia fired 127 drones at the country during the night, with 101 of them intercepted by air defenses.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that 86 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over Russian regions, the Black Sea and the illegally annexed Crimea peninsula.

The Ukrainian attack started a fire at an oil refinery in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, but it was quickly put out, local authorities said.

This story has corrected the day of the alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian president’s residence to late Sunday and early Monday.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this image made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, a Russian Army soldier fires from D-30 howitzer towards Ukrainian positions in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)