Game ID: 22401091
LA Clippers @ Orlando Magic
Monday, March 31, 2025 at 7:00 PM ET
Kia Center, Orlando, FL
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
ORL 28 19 19 21 87LAC 22 23 24 27 96
LAC @ ORL ScoutingLAC @ ORL Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
ORL availability going into 3/24 · 2 days' restOUT Anthony missed 2 since 3/19, out tonight
OUT Queen missed 4 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Joseph back 3/13 after 2, 26 min since (196% of 13)
BACK Howard back 3/21 after 2, 9 min since (75% of 12)
ORL availability going into 3/25 · back-to-backOUT Anthony missed 3 since 3/19, out tonight
OUT Queen missed 5 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Howard back 3/21 after 2, 9 min since (75% of 12)
NEW Joseph 13 to 24 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 3/27 · 1 day's restOUT Anthony missed 4 since 3/19, out tonight
OUT Queen missed 6 since 3/14, out tonight
OUT Howard missed 2 since 3/24, out tonight
NEW Joseph 13 to 22 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 3/29 · 1 day's restOUT Anthony missed 5 since 3/19, out tonight
OUT Queen missed 7 since 3/14, returns tonight: 9 min (65% of 14)
OUT Howard missed 3 since 3/24, returns tonight: 7 min (57% of 12)
NEW Joseph 13 to 21 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 3/31 · 1 day's restOUT Anthony missed 6 since 3/19, out tonight
BACK Queen back 3/29 after 7, 9 min since (65% of 14)
BACK Howard back 3/21 after 2, 8 min since (66% of 12)
NEW Joseph 13 to 20 min over the last 5
NEW Houstan 13 to 20 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 4/01 · back-to-backOUT Anthony missed 7 since 3/19, returns tonight: 19 min (109% of 18)
BACK Queen back 3/29 after 7, 9 min since (65% of 14)
BACK Howard back 3/29 after 3, 7 min since (57% of 12)
NEW Joseph 13 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Houstan 13 to 19 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 4/03 · 1 day's restOUT Queen missed 2 since 3/31, out tonight
OUT Howard missed 2 since 3/31, out tonight
BACK Anthony back 4/01 after 7, 19 min since (109% of 18)
NEW Joseph 13 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Houstan 13 to 21 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 4/08 · 4 days' restOUT da Silva missed 2 since 4/01, out tonight
OUT Queen missed 3 since 3/31, out tonight
OUT Howard missed 3 since 3/31, out tonight
BACK Anthony back 4/01 after 7, 17 min since (94% of 18)
NEW Joseph 13 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Houstan 13 to 19 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 4/09 · back-to-backOUT da Silva missed 3 since 4/01, returns tonight: 12 min (56% of 22)
OUT Queen missed 4 since 3/31, returns tonight: 6 min (40% of 14)
OUT Howard missed 4 since 3/31, returns tonight: 6 min (48% of 12)
BACK Anthony back 4/01 after 7, 15 min since (82% of 18)
NEW Joseph 13 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Houstan 13 to 19 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/23 · 1 day's restOUT Miller missed 4 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Powell back 3/16 after 7, 22 min since (68% of 33)
BACK Simmons back 3/14 after 7, 15 min since (100% of 15)
LAC availability going into 3/26 · 2 days' restOUT Miller missed 5 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Powell back 3/16 after 7, 25 min since (75% of 33)
BACK Simmons back 3/14 after 7, 15 min since (100% of 15)
LAC availability going into 3/28 · 1 day's restOUT Miller missed 6 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Powell back 3/16 after 7, 26 min since (79% of 33)
LAC availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT Miller missed 7 since 3/14, out tonight
LAC availability going into 3/31 · back-to-backOUT Miller missed 8 since 3/14, out tonight
LAC availability going into 4/02 · 1 day's restOUT Miller missed 9 since 3/14, out tonight
LAC availability going into 4/04 · 1 day's restOUT Coffey missed 2 since 3/31, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 10 since 3/14, out tonight
LAC availability going into 4/05 · back-to-backOUT Coffey missed 3 since 3/31, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 11 since 3/14, returns tonight: 7 min (66% of 11)
LAC availability going into 4/08 · 2 days' restOUT Coffey missed 4 since 3/31, out tonight
BACK Miller back 4/05 after 11, 7 min since (66% of 11)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 101, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Banchero at 30 and Wagner at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Anthony (6 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 110, shooting 51 percent and 45 from three, 26 free throws a game; Leonard at 26 and Harden at 23 a game. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 45 percent from three to Orlando's 35 and the defense, Orlando allowing 101 a night to the Clippers' 110. Call it Orlando 111, the Clippers 108, the Clippers keeping it close.
3/24 vs LAL 118-106 — ORL notes
ORL won 118-106. ORL shot 49% (42 of 85) to LAL's 46%, 15 of 40 from three. Wagner led with 32 (13 of 26, 3 of 10 from three); Banchero added 30, Black 17. The hinge was Q3, 34-18: ORL came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 14, and the lead reached 17. ORL trailed 58-60 at the half and won the second half 60-46. Black was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/25 @ CHA 111-104 — ORL notes
ORL won 111-104. ORL shot 46% (41 of 90) to CHA's 42%, 13 of 42 from three. The glass went 50-38 for them. Banchero led with 32 (13 of 24, 2 of 8 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Wagner added 26, Black 20. The hinge was Q2, 34-26: a lead of 2 became 10. Black was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
3/27 vs DAL 92-101 — ORL notes
ORL lost 92-101. ORL shot 42% (34 of 80) to DAL's 47%, 5 of 30 from three. Banchero led with 35 (13 of 21, 1 of 5 from three, 8 of 12 at the line); Wagner added 20, Black 14. Q2 was theirs, 33-24, turning a 2-point deficit into a 7-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 77-59 against them. They led by as many as 11. Wagner's -14 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/29 vs SAC 121-91 — ORL notes
ORL won 121-91. ORL shot 49% (44 of 89) to SAC's 42%, 18 of 39 from three. Banchero led with 24 (9 of 19, 1 of 5 from three, 5 of 11 at the line); Wagner added 21, Houstan 18. The hinge was Q1, 38-21: from level to 17 ahead, and the lead reached 35. Banchero was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
3/31 vs LAC 87-96 — ORL notes
ORL lost 87-96. ORL shot 39% (30 of 76) to LAC's 44%, 7 of 26 from three. The glass went 32-47 against them. Banchero led with 26 (8 of 23, 1 of 8 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Wagner added 21, Caldwell-Pope 11. Q1 was theirs, 28-22, but the other 3 periods went 74-59 against them. Black's -14 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/01 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 121, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Vassell at 20 and Castle at 17 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Biyombo (2 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 100, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 22 free throws a game; Banchero at 29 and Wagner at 24 a game. Without Anthony (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Orlando wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Orlando allowing 100 a night to San Antonio's 121 and the glass, where Orlando has been plus-3 a night and San Antonio minus-8. Call it Orlando 111, San Antonio 109, San Antonio keeping it close.
4/03 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 124, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Poole at 21 and Sarr at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. Without Coulibaly (13 straight), George (5 straight), Jones (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 99, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Banchero at 28 and Wagner at 22 a game. One day's rest.
So: Orlando wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Orlando allowing 99 a night to Washington's 124 and the glass, where Orlando has been plus-2 a night and Washington minus-11. Call it Orlando 114, Washington 106.
4/08 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 98, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Banchero at 28 and Wagner at 23 a game. Without da Silva (2 straight). 4 days' rest. Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 125, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Young at 22 and Daniels at 18 a game. Without Johnson (34 straight), Capela (13 straight), Mathews (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the defense, Orlando allowing 98 a night to Atlanta's 125. Call it Orlando 115, Atlanta 111, Atlanta keeping it close.
4/09 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 100, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Banchero at 28 and Wagner at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without da Silva (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Tatum at 24 and Porziņģis at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-9 a night and Orlando plus-1 and the defense, Orlando allowing 100 a night to Boston's 107. Call it Orlando 110, Boston 109, Boston keeping it close.
3/23 vs OKC 101-103 — LAC notes
LAC lost 101-103. LAC shot 43% (35 of 82) to OKC's 40%, 8 of 26 from three, and went to the line 28 times to OKC's 20 — 23 points from the stripe to their 17. LAC turned it over 14 times to OKC's 9, and OKC turned those into 9 steals. Leonard led with 25 (10 of 20, 2 of 4 from three); Harden added 17, Zubac 15. Q1 was theirs, 34-24, but the other 3 periods went 79-67 against them. They led by as many as 12. Jones Jr.'s -11 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/26 @ NYK 126-113 — LAC notes
LAC won 126-113. LAC shot 51% (45 of 88) to NYK's 50%, 16 of 30 from three. Harden led with 29 (8 of 16, 6 of 9 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Leonard added 27, Powell 19. The hinge was Q2, 34-22: the deficit went from 13 to 1, and the lead reached 19. LAC trailed 54-55 at the half and won the second half 72-58. Jones Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
3/28 @ BKN 132-100 — LAC notes
LAC won 132-100. LAC shot 55% (44 of 80) to BKN's 37%, 19 of 37 from three. Leonard led with 31 (10 of 14, 5 of 6 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Zubac added 21, Harden 17. The hinge was Q2, 42-21: LAC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 20, and the lead reached 41. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
3/30 @ CLE 122-127 — LAC notes
LAC lost 122-127. LAC shot 48% (45 of 93) to CLE's 51%, 16 of 41 from three. Powell led with 34 (13 of 24, 5 of 11 from three, 3 of 6 at the line); Harden added 24, Bogdanović 16. Q4 was theirs, 34-22, the deficit cut from 17 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 105-88 against them. Harden's -17 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/31 @ ORL 96-87 — LAC notes
LAC won 96-87. LAC shot 44% (36 of 82) to ORL's 39%, 8 of 31 from three. The glass went 47-32 for them. Leonard led with 21 (8 of 22, 0 of 6 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Powell added 21, Harden 20. The hinge was Q4, 27-21: a lead of 3 became 9. LAC trailed 45-47 at the half and won the second half 51-40. Leonard was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
4/02 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 106, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 24 free throws a game; Leonard at 26 and Harden at 21 a game. They have won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Hawkins at 13 and Brown at 12 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 18 times a game to the Clippers' 12 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 106 a night to New Orleans's 115. Call it the Clippers 117, New Orleans 106, the Clippers by 11.
4/04 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 105, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Leonard at 27 and Harden at 22 a game. Without Coffey (2 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 114, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Davis at 20 and Williams at 16 a game. Without Exum (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-3 a night and Dallas minus-3 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 105 a night to Dallas's 114. Call it the Clippers 116, Dallas 109.
4/05 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 101, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Leonard at 25 and Harden at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Coffey (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Davis at 20 and Washington at 14 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Exum (10 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-4 a night and Dallas minus-4 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 101 a night to Dallas's 111. Call it the Clippers 115, Dallas 106.
4/08 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 101, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and Harden at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Coffey (4 straight). 2 days' rest. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 121, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Barnes at 18 and Vassell at 17 a game. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 101 a night to San Antonio's 121 and the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-4 a night and San Antonio minus-4. Call it the Clippers 118, San Antonio 107, the Clippers by 11.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
ORLAB A. Black
CH C. Houstan
CJ C. Joseph
FW F. Wagner
GB G. Bitadze
GH G. Harris
JI J. Isaac
KC K. Caldwell-Pope
PB P. Banchero
WC W. Carter Jr.
LACBB B. Bogdanović
DE D. Eubanks
DJ D. Jones Jr.
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
KD K. Dunn
KL K. Leonard
NB N. Batum
NP N. Powell
ORL/LAC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Leonard, Powell and Zubac power the Clippers to a 96-87 win over the Magic
ORLANDO, Fla. -- — Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell each scored 21 points, Ivica Zubac added 18 points and 20 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Orlando Magic 96-87 Monday night.
James Harden added 20 points and six steals for the Clippers, who won for the 11th time in 14 games.
Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 26 points. Franz Wagner added 21 points for the Magic, who shot 39% and lost for the eighth time in 10 home games.
Takeaways Clippers: Despite being held under 100 points for the first time in 18 games since Feb. 24, the Clippers moved into a seventh-place tie with idle Minnesota with seven games remaining in the regular season.
Magic: Orlando fell a game behind idle Atlanta in the race for seventh, the top play-in spot in the Eastern Conference. Orlando has lost 16 of 18 against the top nine teams in the West, with its only two wins coming against the Lo Angeles Lakers. Banchero shot 8 for 24 with six turnovers.
Key moment Down 78-75 midway through the fourth quarter, the Magic had a potential game-tying possession when Banchero lost the ball on a drive. Powell converted a layup for the Clippers, Bogdan Bogdanovich followed with a 3-pointer and Los Angeles led by at least five the rest of the way.
Key stat Led by Zubac, the Clippers finished with a 48-32 rebound advantage.
Up next Los Angeles is home against New Orleans on Wednesday. Orlando is at San Antonio on Tuesday.