The Los Angeles Clippers moved into positive territory and kept their Los Angeles Clippers playoff push alive with a 153-128 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. That result lifted the record to 33-32 and eighth place in the Western Conference, but Kawhi Leonard stressed the group still sees bigger targets ahead.

The team’s journey this season has been unusual. The Clippers opened the campaign 6-21 and dropped at least 15 games below .500. They have now become the first team in NBA history to climb above .500 in the same season after falling that far behind.

Leonard has been central to that turnaround. The forward scored 45 points on Wednesday, adding another high-scoring night to a strong season. Leonard has now produced five games with at least 40 points, underlining the importance to the Los Angeles Clippers playoff push during this recovery run.

Leonard made clear that the group is not satisfied yet, and emphasised the daily effort involved. "We've been fighting with our back against the wall all year," Leonard said. "These games are prime for us to go out here and compete, knowing our hard work has paid off throughout the season."

Leonard described how the locker room handled the poor start. "But our job ain't done. We want to get in the playoffs, and try to make some noise. When we were struggling, all we did was come in every day. This is the NBA, we all worked to be here. We just competed. Now we're one game over .500, but we've still got work to do. We've got to do it again, and again. It's not over."

The 34-year-old also spoke about personal fitness and preparation, linking that to the Los Angeles Clippers playoff push. "I feel great," the 34-year-old said. "Praise God, I thank him every day for it. I'mable to play basketball. I had a great offseason, being able to workoutlet's keep it going."

The Clippers’ climb from 6-21 to 33-32 has placed the franchise firmly in the postseason race. With Leonard producing consistent scoring bursts and insisting the focus must remain high, the Los Angeles Clippers playoff push now depends on repeating recent standards through the remaining regular-season schedule.