Hot-shooting Kawhi Leonard scores 39 to propel Clippers past Nuggets to even series 1-1

Clippers guard Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points on a lights-out 15-of-19 shooting to lead Los Angeles past the Denver Nuggets 105-102 in Game 2 of their Western Conference first round series Monday night.

No team led by more than eight points in a game that saw 18 lead changes and 12 ties.

Nikola Jokics 19th playoff triple-double wasnt enough for Denver. He finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists but went just 4-of-8 from the free throw line and turned the ball over 7 times. Denver committed 20 turnovers as a team.

It was Leonard who made the final bucket for the Clippers, a 21-foot jumper that put them up by the final margin. Christian Braun and Jokic missed game-tying three-point attempts in the final seconds.

Leonard hit 12 of 13 shots in the first half, including a buzzer-beating 3-point shot to give Los Angeles the lead at the break.

Los Angeles got 18 points from James Harden, 16 from Ivica Zubac and 13 from Normal Powell. Jamal Murray added 23 points and 6 assists for Denver.

The two teams head west for Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.Nuggets-Clippers playoffs schedule (game times in Mountain Time) Game 3: Nuggets @ Clippers | Thursday, April 24 at 8 p.m. Game 4: Nuggets @ Clippers | Saturday, April 26 at 4 p.m. Game 5*: Clippers @ Nuggets | Tuesday, April 29 at TBD Game 6*: Nuggets @ Clippers | Thursday, May 1 at TBD Game 7*: Clippers @ Nuggets | Saturday, May 3 at TBD*if necessary