Kawhi Leonard's only shot in OT is the game winner at the buzzer for Clippers over Kings

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard stood at the top of the key, letting seconds tick off the clock. He dribbled to his right, then turned and moved across the paint. As the defense collapsed on him, he put up a left hook.

The ball hit the backboard and rim before dropping in at the buzzer, giving the Los Angeles Clippers a hard-fought 111-110 overtime victory against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.

Leonard struggled most of the night, missing 12 of 18 shots before his game winner — the only shot he took in overtime.

“Players make big-time plays and he's done it throughout his entire career,” teammate James Harden said. “For him to step up and hit a game winner like that, it shows the confidence in the type of player he is.”

Leonard punched his right fist in the air and ran to his jubilant teammates.

“We need these wins down the stretch,” he said. “I think this will help us be a better team moving forward. Everybody was excited and know we needed it.”

The win helped the Clippers tighten their grip on eighth place in the West over the ninth-place Kings, who dropped 1 1/2 games back.

Coach Tyronn Lue went home with back pain before the game, leaving assistant Brian Shaw in charge. Lue was watching and a couple of the other coaches Facetimed him afterward.

“He looked like he was having a heart attack," Shaw said. "The same way that we felt out there not knowing how it was going to go."

The Clippers improved to 4-6 since the All-Star break. Norman Powell, the team’s leading scorer, has been out for much of that stretch. Harden and Powell have carried the team for much of the season, with Ivica Zubac and Derrick Jones Jr. making solid contributions.

Leonard has gradually increased his minutes since making his season debut in early January. However, he's still on a restriction and he sat down briefly in overtime.

“Just itching to get back in,” he said.

Hitting the game-winner would seem especially satisfying to Leonard, who didn't make his season debut until January. He missed the first 36 games with what the Clippers described as right knee injury recovery.

“I'm not thinking about that. It’s one game,” he said. “My goal is to be healthy at the end of this season so I can have a good summer and not worry about doing a whole rehab process again or missing a training camp.”

The five-minute extra session was a thrilling back-and-forth with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan combining for the Kings' 13 points and Leonard, Zubac, Harden and Jones scoring the Clippers' 14 points.

With fans of both teams on their feet and the Kings clinging to a one-point lead, Leonard re-entered the game. With everyone else in a tizzy, Leonard coolly read the defense and worked to get to his spot on the floor.

“Just be patient. Even with 5 seconds on the clock or 3 seconds, you still got a lot of time to get a shot off,” he said. “Just trust your work.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden, left, talks with acting head coach Brian Shaw during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Actor Jack Quaid gestures during the second half of an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings, Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. Quaid was made up to look like he was injured to promote his new film Novocaine. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden, right, shoots as Sacramento Kings center Jonas Valanciunas defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, blocks the shot of Sacramento Kings center Jonas Valanciunas during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, top, blocks the shot of Sacramento Kings center Jonas Valanciunas during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Four years after showing up late for the Beijing Olympics and missing one of his races because of a case of COVID-19, U.S. long track speedskater Casey Dawson is enjoying what he jokingly terms his “villain arc,” peaking at the right time ahead of the Milan Cortina Games.

Dawson secured a spot for next month in the men's 5,000 meters — an event he was forced to skip in 2022 while sick — by winning at that distance at the U.S. Olympic trials in 6 minutes, 12.857 seconds on Friday night.

“I actually got COVID two or three weeks before going to the competition. Tested positive for 50 straight tests,” said Dawson, a 25-year-old from Park City, Utah. “Couldn’t go over to the Games. I missed the opening ceremonies. Missed the 5,000 meters. Showed up 12 hours before my 1,500 meters. So I kind of got a little screwed over from that point of view. But this time around, I’m just looking forward to getting there smoothly and just getting a little bit of redemption.”

And then, with a chuckle, Dawson added: “It’s kind of fun to have, like, my villain arc, I would call it. Just coming back and having some fun.”

Ethan Cepuran was about 6 1/2 seconds back Friday, finishing next in 6:19.335.

The last American man to medal in the 5,000 at an Olympics was Chad Hedrick at the 2006 Turin Games.

Dawson already had secured the lone U.S. place for Milan in the men’s 10,000 — a race not being contested at these trials — and also will be part of the trio for men’s team pursuit at the Olympics.

Dawson, Cepuran and Emery Lehman took the bronze in that event in Beijing four years ago, set the world record in 2024 and claimed gold in the team pursuit at the world championships in March.

In the other race Friday, the women's 3,000, Greta Myers won in 4:06.799. As of now, the United States does not have a berth in Milan for that distance, but one of its athletes could end up in the field if another country relinquishes an opening.

“It's hard to wait,” said Myers, a 21-year-old from Lino Lakes, Minnesota. “But I'm very hopeful. I think it's at least a 50-50 chance that it'll happen.”

The U.S. Olympic roster for long track won't become official until the four-day trials at the Pettit National Ice Center wrap up on Monday. One element that could come into play is that the Americans are allowed to bring a maximum of eight men and six women to these Winter Games.

The biggest star of the team — and the sport — is scheduled to make his trials debut Saturday in the men's 1,000 meters: Jordan Stolz. The 21-year-old from Kewaskum, a town about 40 miles north of Milwaukee, is not just competing at home this week; he's racing at the same rink where he first began taking lessons as a kid.

He made his Olympic debut at age 17 in Beijing four years ago, finishing 13th in the 500 and 14th in the 1,000.

At both the 2023 and 2024 world championships, Stolz earned titles in each of the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters.

He's already pre-qualified for the Olympics based on performances at those three distances. All he really needs to do to lock down berths on the squad for the Feb. 6-22 Milan Cortina Games is show up at the starting line this week.

The 500 and 1,500 are slated for Sunday, and the mass start is Monday.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Casey Dawson, of Park City, Utah, right, and Ethan Cepuran, of Glen Ellyn, lllinois, left, compete in the men's 5,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speed skating at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Howard Fendrich)

The Pettit National Ice Center is seen in Milwaukee on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, the first day of the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speedskating. (AP Photo/Howard Fendrich)