The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Boston Celtics 113-93 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California on Monday, giving the NBA leader their second straight loss.

Kawhi Leonard, who had been trying to find his best form since returning from a partial anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in his right knee, showed signs of getting closer to achieving that goal. He shot 10-for-12 from the field, scoring 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Clippers at home.

Even in his prime, Leonard was not a fast player. His advantage came from size, wingspan and power, especially in his legs, which allowed him to leap high enough to shoot over the defender's head. After suffering from an ACL injury, he spent a year in recovery, rebuilding his muscles and getting used to using and trusting them again when shooting jumpers.

Eight of Leonard's shots on Monday night were jumpers – two from downtown and six in the middle range. The Celtics' Blake Griffin was the only one in the right shape to defend against Leonard. However, his center position meant he had to stay around the paint, which limited him. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Marcus Smart are all good defenders, but Leonard can either overpower them or shoot over them without being deflected much.

Paul George didn't share Leonard's touch. He missed 14 of his field goals (FGs), including nine jump shots in Monday's game, but he did well in charging the Celtics' paint. Having walked to the free-throw line nine times, George made eight of the nine free throws he was awarded at the free-throw line, earning him the court-high 26 points for the Clippers.

George's aggressive penetrations revealed how weak the Celtics were from the inside. Playing Griffin as center meant the team nearly gave up protection of the paint. Griffin is good at tussling with Ivica Zubac and keeping him from bullying in, but he is not wired to protect the rim like a real center does, not to mention how much of his athleticism he has lost. As a result, the Clippers led in offensive rebounds 11-5 and often found the hoop open once they beat the first layer of defense.

When Al Horford and Robert Williams III come back, the Celtics can count on them to significantly boost their interior defense. Nonetheless, those two won't do much to help enhance the team's offense or enable Tatum to play normally against a tough defense.

Having struggled against the Golden State Warriors on December 10, Tatum continued to let the Celtics down against the Clippers on Monday night. He went 7-for-20 in FGs to get only 20 points and 11 rebounds. Eight of his shots happened at the 3-point line, and he only made two. Tatum also missed all of his three jumpers in the middle range. His efficiency only began to look better in the third quarter when he increased more off-ball attacks.

Like Leonard, Tatum doesn't count on his speed or explosiveness to penetrate. His size and wingspan give him an advantage over most defenders in front him, but he lacks power. That's why he often needs to dribble to fend off defenders who tussle with him in the lower body. However, when Tatum dribbles too much, he may lose his rhythm or gives the opponents enough time to double-team him.

Having suffered two consecutive losses, the Celtics are now only one game above the Milwaukee Bucks.

Other games on Monday (away teams come first):

Miami Heat 87-82 Indiana Pacers

The Heat once extended their lead to 19 points (43-24) with a 15-0 run in the second quarter, but the Pacers returned an 18-2 drive with the support from home fans at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The game remained close in the second half, and the final five minutes again belonged to Jimmy Butler. He first assisted Kyle Lowry to make a 3-pointer and then scored seven points to keep the Pacers from coming back.

It is worth mentioning that Tyrese Haliburton, who played like an NBA All-Star in the Pacers this season, missed all nine of his FGs and only got one point via a free throw.

Brooklyn Nets 112-100 Washington Wizards

Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons all returned for the Nets at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Monday after sitting out the team's last game against the Pacers on December 10. Though the Wizards caused some trouble for the Nets in the paint, especially when Nic Claxton was not on the court, Durant led the team to victory with remarkable efficiency – taking 17 shots to produce 30 points.

The Wizards continued to miss their France ace Bradley Beal due to a right hamstring strain. They had to sideline Kristaps Porzingis after the third quarter on Monday night because of back tightness. Having suffered their seventh loss in a row, the Wizards are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference.

Oklahoma City Thunder 114-121 Dallas Mavericks

Two of the best scorers in today's NBA, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) of the Thunder and Luka Doncic of the Mavericks, put up a grand star-to-star contest at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Monday. SGA shot 14-for-23 from the field and 13-for-13 at the free-throw line to score 42 points. Doncic dropped 38 points and 11 rebounds and was two assists away from a triple-double.

The Mavericks won in the end because Doncic's teammates went 19-for-44 behind the arc, and Spencer Dinwiddie shared the orchestrating burden with Doncic by delivering 10 assists. By contrast, SGA's teammates shot only 9-for-29 in triples, and none reached even five assists.

Atlanta Hawks 103-128 Memphis Grizzlies

Cleveland Cavaliers 111-112 San Antonio Spurs

Minnesota Timberwolves 112-133 Portland Trail Blazers