Clippers fend off Lakers’ 2nd-half rally in Kawhi Leonard’s return

INGLEWOOD — Kawhi Leonard was on the bench, his night seemingly over, as the Lakers climbed back into the game in the fourth quarter. But the Clippers star couldn’t sit still.

He returned to the court in the final two minutes on Thursday night to help seal a 112-104 victory over the Lakers in what had been billed as one of the NBA’s rivalry games. It lived up to the hype with high-scoring performances from the teams’ biggest stars, raucous fans and even a late-game skirmish at Intuit Dome.