Kawhi Leonard's selflessness in keeping to a minutes restriction denied him the opportunity to take the Los Angeles' Clippers' single-game scoring record outright on Sunday, but he is hopeful there will be another chance.

Leonard scored a career-high 55 points as the Clippers defeated the Detroit Pistons 112-99 at Intuit Dome, extending their season-best winning streak to four games.

That saw him match the franchise record set by James Harden only last month, in a 131-116 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

Leonard made five of 10 shots from 3-point range and 16 of 17 from the free-throw line, also adding 11 rebounds while being restricted to 39 minutes on the court.

Having struggled with an ankle issue earlier this season, the 34-year-old was playing on a minutes restriction, but he was not about to force the issue and stay on the court against the advice of Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, departing with a minute to play.

"Like I told [Lue], I would rather play another game than go out there and risk it," Leonard said afterwards. 

"Hopefully, we can get another win and be in the same situation. It is what it is."

Leonard has averaged 39 points across his last four games, but he is also playing an enhanced role when it comes to teeing up his team-mates. 

"I've never really been in this situation. I'm trying to get guys the ball and share it more than I have been doing," Leonard added.

"But the coaches need me to be aggressive the entire game. It's just a different evolution of me trying to shoot more 3s and trying to evolve my game to today's game."

The man of the night… KAWHI LEONARD!  pic.twitter.com/2DRul9hY82

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 29, 2025

Harden, whose single-game record Leonard matched, showered his team-mate with praise, saying: "It was a beautiful thing to see, with how efficient, how effortless it was.

"It was just so smooth. He got to whatever spot he wanted to and once you get to that spot it's not even about the defender. It's about him making the shot.

"I'm overly happy for him because behind the scenes, you watch somebody and how hard they work...

"For him, what he had to battle through just to go out there and be himself... it was a beautiful thing to see."

The Clippers, who are 10-21 for the season following their recent resurgence, face the Sacramento Kings next time out on Tuesday.