LOS ANGELES, Feb 2 — Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points in 24 minutes as the host Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-106 yesterday.

Leonard scored at least 30 points for the ninth consecutive contest. He also had six rebounds.

Paul George, playing in his second contest after missing nine due to a left hamstring strain, had 21 points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes. Lou Williams added 17 points, Montrezl Harrell contributed 16 points and six rebounds, and Patrick Beverley finished with 12 points and five rebounds for the Clippers.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 32 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who lost their 11th straight game. Andrew Wiggins, limited with foul trouble in the first half, had only 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting. Josh Okogie had 13 points, while Robert Covington chipped in 12 points. Shabazz Napier had 11 points and 10 assists.

The Clippers held a 98-86 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. They increased the lead to 105-86 after George slammed home a miss by Landry Shamet, who finished with 10 points, less than three minutes into the fourth. Minnesota failed to get closer than 11 the rest of the way.

The Clippers led 50-38 after a layup by George at 7:23 of the second quarter. However, the Timberwolves mounted a 10-0 run after a bucket by Covington three minutes later to cut the lead to two.

After Minnesota closed the gap to one, a 3-pointer and three free throws by Leonard and a driving basket by Williams boosted Los Angeles to a 62-55 edge at the break.

Leonard scored 24 points in the first half. Towns had 19 before intermission.

The Timberwolves made 7 of 39 3-point attempts (17.9 percent) compared to the Clippers converting 12 of 34 (35.3). Overall, the Clippers made 45.9 percent to 40.5 percent for the Timberwolves.

Los Angeles captured the rebounding battled 50-44, including a 12-6 edge on the offensive end. — Reuters