Ivica Zubac leads surging Clippers past Spurs 122-117 and into fourth place in the crowded West

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Ivica Zubac had 24 points and 20 rebounds, Norman Powell scored 25 points and the Los Angeles Clippers surged into fourth place in the Western Conference with a 122-117 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.

James Harden had 21 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who have won five straight.

Los Angeles, at 47-32, also currently holds the tiebreaker over Denver, Memphis and Golden State, who all have the same record with three games left in the regular season. All four are right behind the third-place Lakers, who are 48-31.

Kawhi Leonard sat out to rest his perpetually balky right knee, but he’s likely to return for the Clippers’ visit from second-place Houston on Wednesday. Leonard, named the Western Conference player of the week Monday, played in back-to-back games last weekend for the first time in his 13th NBA season, which only began in January due to knee discomfort.

Harrison Barnes scored 24 points and Stephon Castle had 19 for the Spurs, who have lost eight of nine.

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 19 points in his 500th career game.

Spurs: Victor Wembanyama's absence was obvious in Zubac's dominance and the Clips' 50-34 rebounding advantage.

Clippers: They've won 15 of their last 18 to streak into contention for homecourt advantage in the first round. That could be big, since they've won 12 of 13 and 28 of 35 at Intuit Dome.

Los Angeles made an 18-3 run in the first four minutes after halftime to create some space. The Spurs rallied, but never quite caught up.

Zubac has 12 straight double-doubles in the Clippers' longest streak since Paul had 14 straight in 2013. He's the first Clippers player with at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and five assists in a game since Elton Brand in 2005.

While the Clippers host the Rockets, the Spurs visit the Warriors.

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

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue points down court during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Carrie Giordano)

San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) points down court during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Carrie Giordano)

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) is guarded by San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Carrie Giordano)

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) looks to shoot during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Carrie Giordano)

Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell (24) shoots a layup during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Carrie Giordano)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man accused of steering a U-Haul truck toward a Los Angeles demonstration supporting Iran's protests was released after being arrested on suspicion of reckless driving and has yet to be formally charged, authorities said Monday.

Police first said one person was hit by truck during Sunday’s protest, but on Monday said no one was struck. Two people declined treatment after paramedics evaluated them at the scene, the fire department said.

Messages were sent to the city attorney's office Monday asking about possible charges against the 48-year-old man. Police say he sped into the crowd of demonstrators, some waving Iran’s lion and sun flag, an emblem of its former ruler, the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The protesters gathered Sunday afternoon in Westwood, a neighborhood that's home to the largest Iranian community outside the country.

Videos shared on social media show demonstrators scrambling out of the truck's way while a few chase after it. The vehicle stopped several blocks away, its windshield, mirrors and a window shattered. ABC7 news helicopter footage showed police officers keeping the crowd at bay while demonstrators swarmed the truck, throwing punches at the driver and thrusting flagpoles through the driver’s side window.

Investigators searched the truck, “with nothing significant being found,” the police statement said.

Police said the protesters tore down a banner on the truck that read “No Shah. No Regime. USA: Don’t Repeat 1953. No Mullah,” an apparent reference to a U.S.-backed coup in that year which toppled then-Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, who had nationalized the country’s oil industry. The coup cemented the shah's power and lit the fuse for the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which saw Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini usher in the theocracy that still governs the country.

From exile in the United States, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah who fled Iran just before the Islamic Revolution, has called on Iranians to join the demonstrations. Some Iranians have chanted pro-shah slogans, which were once punishable by death, highlighting the anger fueling demonstrations that began over Iran’s sanctions-crippled economy.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with military action over its crackdown on protesters in nationwide demonstrations that activists said Monday had left nearly 600 dead across the country.

Associated Press journalists Julie Watson in San Diego and Michael Catalini in Trenton, N.J., contributed to this report.

Signs from a Sunday protest, supporting protesters in Iran, are left on a yard Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Signs from a Sunday protest, supporting protesters in Iran, are left on a sidewalk Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)