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.
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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)
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.”
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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)
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Dozens of people are presumed dead and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, following a fire at a Swiss Alps bar during a New Year’s celebration, police said Thursday.
“Several tens of people” were killed at the bar, Le Constellation, Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said.
Work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families but “that will take time and for the time being it is premature to give you a more precise figure," Gisler said.
Beatrice Pilloud, attorney general of the Valais Canton, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage.
“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.
Officials called the blaze an “embrasement généralisé,” a firefighting term describing how a blaze can trigger the release of combustible gases that can then ignite violently and cause what English-speaking firefighters would call a flashover or a backdraft.
“This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Rénard, head of the regional government.
The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, Rénard said.
Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, including some from different countries, officials said.
“We are devastated,” Frédéric Gisler, commander of the Valais Cantonal police, said during a news conference.
The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, according to regional councilor Mathias Rénard.
The municipality had banned New Year’s Eve fireworks due to lack of rainfall in the past month, according to its website.
In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid any accidents that could require medical resources that are already overwhelmed.
The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Matterhorn, one of the most famous Alpine peaks, and 130 kilometers (81 miles) south of Zurich.
The highest point of Crans-Montana, with a population of 10,000 residents, sits at an elevation of nearly 3,000 meters (1.86 miles), according to the municipality’s website, which says officials are seeking to move away from a tourist culture and attract high-tech research and development.
The municipality was formed only nine years ago, on Jan. 1, 2017, when multiple towns merged. It extends over 590 hectares (2.3 square miles) from the Rhône Valley to the Plaine Morte glacier.
Crans-Montana is one of the top race venues on the World Cup circuit in Alpine skiing and will host the next world championships over two weeks in February 2027.
In four weeks’ time, the resort will host the best men’s and women’s downhill racers for their last events before going to the Milan Cortina Olympics, which open Feb. 6.
Crans-Montana also is a premium venue in international golf. The Crans-sur-Sierre club stages the European Masters each August on a picturesque course with stunning mountains views.
From left, Mathias Reynard, State Councillor and president of the Council of State of the Canton of Valais, Stephane Ganzer, State Councillor and head of the Department of Security, Institutions and Sport of the Canton of Valais, Frederic Gisler, Commander of the Valais Cantonal Police, Beatrice Pilloud, Attorney General of the Canton of Valais and Nicole Bonvin-Clivaz, Vice-President of the Municipal Council of Crans-Montana during a press conference in Lens, following a fire that broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)
A skier walks in the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)
A banner stating that fireworks are prohibited due to the risk of fire is pictured near the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)
Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)
Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)
Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)
Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)
