LOS ANGELES _ For more than a year, the Los Angeles Clippers have self-identified as a "blacktop" team that feels more kinship with the grit of weekend grinders than polished pros, to the point that their home court is now ringed by a map of city streets on a black background.
If their branding is no longer new, it nonetheless took on new meaning Sunday night at Staples Center. The Clippers' offensive struggles through their first three quarters against Utah were pronounced enough to appear they were shooting on the double-iron, ultra-stiff rims that clang jump shots on playgrounds across Los Angeles.
But what started ugly ended a thing of beauty for Clippers fans, who chanted "M-V-P!" at Kawhi Leonard during a fourth quarter in which the superstar forward scored 18 of his 30 points and his team rebounded, in every sense of the word, en route to a 105-94 victory against the Utah Jazz.
Leonard entered Sunday second in the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring, with his 11.3 points on 59% shooting trailing only the 11.7 averaged thus far by Portland's Damian Lillard.
But after scoring only five points in the first half and 12 through three quarters, his late outburst was stunning even by his standards. He also dished a pair of assists that led to six more points.
"We were down by 10 in the third and I was on the bench and I was like, 'We're good, we got Kawhi,' " center Ivica Zubac said. "That's what he does. He gets you buckets when you need them."
Leonard received a standing ovation upon checking out of the game with 15.4 seconds left, but on a night when the Clippers (5-2) shot 39% overall and 21% on three-pointers, the forward was not alone in pulling his team out of its scoring funk.
Eighteen offensive rebounds led to 29 second-chance points for the Clippers, who are 4-0 at home for the first time in six seasons.
"Because we're so much longer at every position we have a thing: If you're in the paint, either go get the ball or get back," coach Doc Rivers said. "And I think our guys are choosing to go get it."
The Jazz (4-3), who also shot 39%, could not duplicate such success off their misses, scoring only eight second-chance points. Donovan Mitchell tried to outduel Leonard, scoring 17 of his 36 points in the final quarter, but his teammates combined for only seven points in the final quarter.
"I don't think we did anything special," said Clippers guard Lou Williams, who scored 17 points off the bench.
"We just started playing a little harder."
Four days after setting season lows for made field goals, three-pointers and free throws in a 14-point loss in Salt Lake City while playing without a load-managed Leonard, the Clippers fared no better to start Sunday despite his presence. Not only did they trail by nine within the first 4:08, but even Leonard _ he of Thursday's 38-point game against San Antonio _ missed his first five shots.
With the exception of Zubac, whose eight first-quarter points nearly matched his season average of 8.7 and accounted for half his team's points, the Clippers made only three of 14 first-quarter field goal attempts.
Leonard needed nine minutes to score his first points, off a pair of free throws, but about a minute later he dribbled inside the three-point line, spun left and right and drained a turnaround jump shot for his team's first lead, with 8:43 to play before halftime.
Within four minutes the Clippers were up 12 after a three-pointer by Landry Shamet. During the next five minutes, however, they missed seven of eight shots and the Jazz strung together a 17-3 run to lead at halftime by two.
"Crushing for us," Rivers said.
The Clippers' 65 points through three quarters were a season low, seven fewer than their previous performance against Utah.
Of course, all was forgotten after a fourth quarter to remember. Leonard made five of 11 shots and played the role of closer, again.
"Like any dominant player, when the game is in the balance, it's close, he did what he do _ took over the game," said Patrick Beverley, the 6-foot-1 guard who grabbed nine rebounds.
"It was like a boxing match. But I guess we got the last jabs out the way."
