Bet right! Clippers explode in trade! 25+7 dominates the strongest Eastern Conference team

Harden’s 4-for-20 shooting bent the rim... nevertheless, the Clippers overcame the Eastern powerhouse Pistons, winning 98-92 away from home.

Here are the Clippers' stats:

Here are the Pistons' stats:

With Cunningham and Duren both sidelined, the Clippers beating a Pistons team missing two key players might seem less impressive, but no matter how you look at it, they won.Currently holding a 15-23 record, ranking 11th in the Western Conference, just one game behind the 10th place Grizzlies, inching closer to the play-in tournament threshold.

Push forward, keep pushing forward.

In this game, Collins was the Clippers’ biggest contributor, starting and playing about 37 minutes, shooting 9 of 14, including 5 of 8 from three, plus 2 of 4 free throws, totaling 25 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, and 4 blocks, with a +19 plus-minus rating, the highest on the court. Clippers reporter Azarly commented,Collins is the first player since stats were tracked to record 25 points, 5 made threes, along with 4 steals and 4 blocks in a single game.

This guy was sent to the Clippers last offseason in a three-team trade involving the Jazz (Love + Kyle Lee + 2027 second-round pick), while the Heat acquired Powell.

Initially, Collins could only come off the bench for the Clippers, but after nine games, he was promoted to the starting lineup,and has performed excellently in six games in 2026, shooting 41 of 57 overall (around 72% accuracy), including 16 of 24 from three-point range (about 67%).He is the Clippers’ most dependable scorer right now besides Leonard.

Was trading Powell for Collins worth it? So far, definitely yes, mainly because Collins strengthens the Clippers’ traditionally weak power forward position.

Born on September 23, 1997, Collins was the 19th pick in the 2017 first round, a 2.06m tall power forward with a 2.11m wingspan. This season, he’s on a contract worth $26.58 million. Even if he doesn’t re-sign with the Clippers this summer, there will be plenty of teams interested in him.

According to previous reports, the Clippers plan to clear salary space by summer 2027, when both Leonard and Harden’s contracts expire. This is also a major reason why they let go of Powell, who is also on a contract year this season.