Powell scores 20, Leonard has 12 points in return as Clippers cruise to 131-105 victory over Hawks

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Norman Powell scored 20 points, Kawhi Leonard added 12 in his first game of the season and the Los Angeles Clippers rolled to a 131-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

Leonard, who missed the Clippers’ first 34 games with what the team described as right knee injury recovery, played 19 minutes. He was 4 of 11 from the floor, including three 3-pointers, along with three rebounds and one assist.

Ivica Zubac had 18 points and 18 rebounds as the Clippers snapped a two-game losing streak. Amir Coffey had 17 points.

Trae Young led Atlanta with 20 points and 14 assists. De’Andre Hunter had 18 points for the Hawks who have dropped their last three after winning four straight.

The Clippers had a 36-35 advantage early in the second quarter before breaking it open with a 27-4 run, with Coffey scoring nine of his 15 points in the period.

Hawks: Guard Jalen Johnson did not play due to right shoulder soreness. Guard Bogdan Bogdanovic also did not play due to injury management.

Clippers: Terance Mann also returned to the lineup and scored 12 points in 16 minutes. Mann missed 10 games due to a broken middle finger on his left hand.

Leonard hit a 3-pointer on his first shot from the left wing with 9:57 remaining in the first quarter to tie it at 5-all. Leonard was guarded by Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher, but got the shot off.

James Harden's 13 assists in the first half were the most by a Clippers player before halftime going back to 1996-97, according to Sportradar. He has had 14 assists in the first half twice in his 15-year career. Harden finished with 10 points and 15 assists.

The Hawks are at Utah on Tuesday night while the Clippers are at Minnesota on Monday night.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young drives past Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum (33) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne-Kamin-Oncea)

Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter is defended by Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne-Kamin-Oncea)

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, left, is defended by Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne-Kamin-Oncea)

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, left, is defended by Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne-Kamin-Oncea)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, steals the ball from Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne-Kamin-Oncea)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, steals the ball from Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne-Kamin-Oncea)

President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a bill that transfers the land that includes the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to city control, the next step to potentially pave the way for the NFL's Washington Commanders to return to the nation's capital.

Giving the District of Columbia control of the land for the next 99 years allows for the decaying husk of the old stadium to be torn down and the site redeveloped for any number of things. One of the possibilities is a football stadium and surrounding entertainment options at the franchise’s former home.

Owners Josh Harris, Mitch Rales and Mark Ein and Mayor Muriel Bowser stood behind Biden at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office when he signed the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act. The Commanders in a statement said it was a big win for the city and its residents.

“Washington can finally move forward on a new vision for the RFK site,” they said. “We look forward to being a part of that conversation as we evaluate a future home for the Washington Commanders.”

Bowser called this moment “the results of years of tireless and strategic advocacy, extraordinary collaboration and bipartisan leadership.”

“It is a good day for D.C. when we finally have control of our own destiny at the RFK campus,” Bowser said. “We are ready and optimistic about unlocking the full potential of this space, and with more than 170 acres of land we can do it all — deliver housing, economic opportunity, green space, recreation, sports and more.”

The resolution made it through Congress in the early-morning hours of Dec. 21 just before the holiday recess after it was removed from the year-end spending bill in a twist that threatened the efforts by Bowser and others made over the last 18 months. Controlling owner Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell lobbied lawmakers on Capitol Hill in early December in support of the measure.

Playing in Washington again is no sure thing. The Commanders are also considering other places in the district, Maryland and Virginia to build a stadium in the coming years.

Their lease at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, runs through 2027. Harris called 2030 a “reasonable target” for a new stadium.

The team played at RFK Stadium, 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) east of the Capitol, from 1961-96 before moving to Maryland. Harris and several co-owners, including Rales and Ein, grew up as Washington football fans during that era, which included the glory days of three Super Bowl championships from 1982-91.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

FILE - RFK Stadium is visible from Air Force One as it takes off from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Nov. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)