The Los Angeles Clippers finally found their footing Saturday night at Intuit Dome, riding Kawhi Leonard's season-high 32 points to a 103-88 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers and snapping a brutal five-game losing streak in the process.

The win improves the Clippers to 7-21 on the season while the Lakers fall to 19-8. 

For a team that had lost 12 of its last 15 games and sat at the bottom of the Western Conference, Saturday's wire-to-wire victory provided a much-needed boost heading into the holiday stretch.

Leonard Leads the Way From Beyond the Arc

The story of the game was told from three-point range where the Clippers connected on 16 of 43 attempts, shooting 37 percent, while the Lakers managed just 6 of 38 for an abysmal 16 percent clip that doomed any chance of a comeback.

Leonard led the charge by tying his season high with four three-pointers while finishing with 12 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks to go along with his 32 points. 

James Harden added 21 points and 10 assists while knocking down four threes of his own, and Brook Lopez contributed three more from the bench.

When asked how much the losing streak has been mental for the team, Leonard kept it simple after the game.

"It's very mental," Leonard said. "One thing that you've got to do is play hard, have fun, and compete."

Collins Steps Up After Zubac Injury

With starting center Ivica Zubac exiting in the first quarter due to a left ankle injury, the Clippers needed someone else to step up in the frontcourt and John Collins answered the call. 

The veteran forward delivered 17 points and 12 rebounds on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including two three-pointers.

Zubac's injury adds to an already difficult stretch for the Clippers, who have dealt with availability issues all season. The big man scored five points before leaving and did not return to the game.

Head coach Tyronn Lue acknowledged the adjustment after the game.

"We didn't close the game the right way," Lue said. "Once Zu went down, we played a brand of basketball we weren't good at."

Lakers' Shooting Woes and Injury Concerns

The Lakers simply could not find their stroke from downtown, and it started with their guards. 

Marcus Smart went 0-for-9 from three-point range while managing just five points, and Luka Doncic, the NBA's leading scorer, did not return after halftime due to a lower leg contusion.

Doncic had been coming off a monster performance against Utah where he posted 45 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists, but he finished with just 12 points in 19 minutes Saturday after missing his first six shots from the field.

LeBron James, who turns 41 on December 30, did everything he could to keep the Lakers in the game with a season-high 36 points. 

However, he was the lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal offensive showing for Los Angeles, which was also without Austin Reaves (left calf), Deandre Ayton (left elbow) and Rui Hachimura (sore groin).

Looking Ahead

The Clippers led from start to finish and held off a late Lakers rally that briefly cut the lead to seven in the fourth quarter. 

After a six-point possession gave the Lakers life, the Clippers responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Collins and Harden to put the game away for good.

The Lakers now head to Phoenix on Tuesday to close out an eight-game road trip,

while the Clippers host the Houston Rockets on Tuesday at Intuit Dome. 

For a team that entered the night having won just six games all season, snapping the losing streak against their cross-town rivals could be exactly what the Clippers needed to turn things around heading into the new year.