Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) drives on the Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell (24) and forward Domantas Sabonis (11) on a pick in first half action at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Fri Nov 8, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night. The Kings last played on Wednesday as they defeated the Toronto Raptors. On Friday, they were set to welcome the LA Clippers. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST on Friday night. The Kings lost the game to the Clippers 107-98.

In the first quarter, the Kings got off to a slow start offensively. At the 6:20 mark of the first, the Kings trailed 19-11. The Kings’ offense couldn’t get into any rhythm to put pressure on the Clippers’ defense. The rest of the quarter, the Kings tried to battle but couldn’t make up much ground.

The quarter ended with the Kings down 34-28. One thing that stood out was the free throw discrepancy: the Kings shot three free throws in the first quarter compared to the Clippers’ 11.

In the second quarter, the Kings continued to play sloppy basketball. The Kings weren’t firing on all cylinders on the defensive end, which led to missed assignments and easy buckets for the Clippers. The Kings’ and the Clippers’ offenses both came to a standstill in the second quarter, with each team scoring 17 points. The Kings trailed the Clippers 51-45 heading into halftime. Norman Powell led the Clippers in the first half with 18 points, while the Kings’ leading scorer was De’Aaron Fox with 12 points.

In the third quarter, it was more of the same uninspiring basketball. The Kings scored 28 points in the third as the Clippers managed 27 points. However, the Kings continued to trail as they couldn’t string together good possessions with any stops. The Kings were shooting an abysmal 2/22 from three through the first three quarters. Could the Kings pick up the offensive end of the floor to come back? They trailed 78-73 going into the fourth.

In the final quarter of action, the Kings failed to mount a comeback. The Kings played hard, but ultimately, some well-timed three-pointers from the LA Clippers sealed the fate of the Kings. The Kings managed to get the game to within four points with a few minutes remaining to show a sign of life.

However, the three-ball started falling for the Clippers as they shut down the run to win 107-98. The Kings’ leading scorer in defeat was Fox, who scored 33 points. Norman Powell led the Clippers in victory as he cooked the Kings with 31 points.

After the game, coach Mike Brown stressed the need to take more three-point shots, regardless of the team’s 3-26 performance. “I would really like our guys to take at least ten more… we left a few shots on the floor we could have taken.”

Up Next: The Kings head on the road to take on the Phoenix Suns on Sunday at 5 PM PST at Footprint Arena in Phoenix.