The Los Angeles Clippers opened preseason with a narrow 103-101 win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, but the bigger message around the team came from Darius Garland: this is going to take some time.
Garland, now in his second year with the Clippers after entering the NBA in 2019, said the group has to settle in before anything else. He spent his early career with the Cleveland Cavaliers before they dealt him to Los Angeles last season for James Harden. Now he’s one of the most recognizable faces on a roster that has changed significantly.
That overhaul includes the Clippers sending superstar Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors in a deal that brought back Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and picks. With so many new pieces in place, Garland made it clear he expects growing pains.
“Got a lot of new faces coming in, so we definitely have to be patient. Got to work through a lot of bumps and bruises. It's a long season, get better every game, will get better every year, and this too shall pass,” Garland said.
On the floor, the Clippers showed both the promise and the rough edges of a team still figuring things out. They led 55-43 at halftime and controlled stretches of the game, but Golden State kept answering with its own runs and eventually grabbed the lead before Keaton Wagler finished it off with a game-winning basket in the final 20 seconds.
Garland finished with 15 points and six assists. Wagler also scored 15 and added six rebounds, while Baba Miller chipped in nine points and six rebounds. Rui Hachimura led Los Angeles with 21 points, five rebounds and a block, hitting 8-of-11 shots overall and 4-of-5 from three.
The Clippers’ next preseason game comes against the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
"Got a lot of new faces coming in, so we definitely have to be patient. Got to work through a lot of bumps and bruises. It's a long season, get better every game, will get better every year, and this too shall pass"
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 5, 2026
- Darius Garland 🗣️
(via @andscape) pic.twitter.com/eOTOVOlmFW
Their regular season begins at home against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 21 at 10:30 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Clippers Just Lost More Control In The Kawhi Leonard Saga
Kawhi Leonards return to Toronto is finally official, closing another chapter in a saga that has stretched far beyond the usual trade paperwork. The deal had been held up while the NBA investigated the Clippers salary cap practices, and only after that delay did the Raptors complete the acquisition and move forward with Leonard as the centerpiece of their latest run.
Leonard has already started talking like a player settling back in rather than one still looking back, saying his focus is on learning the team and helping as a veteran presence. For the Clippers, though, the bigger issue is the shrinking amount of control they have left in a story that once seemed centered on them and now feels increasingly out of their hands. [Read more 🡒]
Gradey Dick Faces A Huge Clippers Opportunity He Can't Waste
Gradey Dick arrives in Los Angeles with something he did not have much of in Toronto: a clean slate and a real opening to play. The Clippers brought him in as part of the Kawhi Leonard trade, and with injuries thinning the early-season rotation, he should get the kind of minutes that can quickly change how the organization views him. After a modest run with the Raptors, this is the sort of chance young players talk about when they say they just need an opportunity.
For the Clippers, the evaluation is simple and the timeline is not. Dicks early work in this new environment could shape whether he sticks as part of their long-term plans or becomes a name they shop before the deadline. There is room for him right now, and there is pressure attached to it, because teams rarely wait long when a player is trying to prove himself on a short-term deal. [Read more 🡒]