Tag: Los Angeles Clippers

Kings Press Row Podcast: Troubles on the road trip and the trade deadline is coming

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
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Graphic @SacramentoKings

Your hosts: Jordan “Chape” Chapin & Charlie O

  • What has happened to the Kings on the road trip so far?
  • Which games the Kings lost should they have won?
  • Why did the Kings sit three players in Toronto with Kawhi, not in the lineup?
  • Who were the key players for the Raptors in their win over the Kings?
  • Is the game in Memphis a must win for the Kings?
  • The trade deadline is coming — who will be in a Kings uni on February 7th?
  • Is Jeremy Lin a good fit for the Kings?
  • Would Otto Porter, Jr. cost the Kings too much money in a trade deal?
  • Could Enes Kanter be the piece that puts the Kings in the playoffs?

Sit back and relax as “Chape” and Charlie talk all things Kings on the Press Row Podcast.

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Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: How Thompson was able to set NBA record for consecutive free throws

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Photo credit: msn.com– Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson shot for a NBA record setting ten consecutive three pointers on Monday night at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 How much of a difference did it make that the LA Lakers were playing without Alonzo Ball and LeBron James both out with injuries as the Warriors rolled over the Lakers on Monday night.

#2 Klay Thompson set an NBA record with ten consecutive three pointers a tough record to achieve.

David does the Warriors podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors win 112-94, despite Cousins fouling out in team debut

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Photo credit: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

By Pearl Allison Lo

LOS ANGELES — Amidst a plethora of fouls, including technicals, DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins was one of the ones who did not receive a technical, as the Golden State Warriors moved to 1-1 on the Los Angeles Clippers floor this season Friday.

After chemistry issues emerged after the last time they were on this court, the Warriors added a new player into the mix in the form of DeMarcus Cousins, who made his first return to NBA game play since tearing his Achilles tendon almost a year ago, on January 26th. Golden State had just played his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans, at Oracle prior to traveling down.

On how Cousins felt being back, he exclaimed, “felt like a kid on Christmas.”

Regarding team chemistry, “The first three minutes were weird,” noted the Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Cousins mentioned “…this was our first time playing together. Steve (Kerr) just kind of threw us out there into the fire…We haven’t even really practiced together.”   

Cousins received a foul in each quarter, two in the first and fouled out with 8:51 left in the game. He played a total of 15 minutes, scored 14 points including three threes, had six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one turnover. There were a total of 54 personal fouls, 30 for Los Angeles and 24 for Golden State. For technicals, the Warriors’ Draymond Green led with two, other recipients being teammate Kevin Durant, opposing Coach Doc Rivers and the Clippers’ Patrick Beverley. Beverley also fouled out with 5:43 left.

Los Angeles continued on a now five-game losing streak. It was their lowest scoring total since December 13. Meanwhile, Golden State held onto a now seven-game winning streak, their lowest scoring total since December 27.

The Clippers were without guard Lou Williams, who had a sore right hamstring, and forward Danilo Galinari. who only played eight minutes after being hit in the bag.   

The first half was close, with the Warriors’ biggest lead of six points and Los Angeles’ four points.

The first quarter saw five ties and three lead changes.

Cousin’s first bucket was a dunk of authority off a pass from Durant over a minute into the game. “I’m just glad to know I can still dunk, remarked Cousins.” Cousins then scored a rebound off a missed three from Curry, but was called for a loose ball foul instead.

With 1:17 left in the opening quarter, Beverly committed a foul, after which Durant threw the ball at him. The leading scorers after the first were Tobias Harris for the Clippers with 13 and Durant with 10. The first quarter ended with a technical on Rivers with Durant taking and missing the technical free throw.

Golden State held onto the lead with 1:38 left in the first until Los Angeles moved ahead with 5:47 left in the second with the 37-36 score, but the lead only lasted one possession.

Back in the game in the second, Cousins missed a three before receiving his third foul. Green received his first technical with 8:10 left. Cousins got to the free throw line for the first time with 7:45 left and went 1-for-2.

Beverley received his technical with 14.6 seconds left and with the game reaching a 50-50 tie, Green broke the tie with an emphatic dunk as he swung in the air, received his second technical with 3.2 seconds left.

In the third, the Warriors built up their biggest lead yet, 66-53, as they went on a14-2 run with Green, Durant, Curry, Thompson and Cousins all scoring.

Durant received his tech with 6:35 to go and Curry scored 14 points in the third quarter, all made without a three.

Cousins got his fifth foul 30 seconds into the fourth.  Later Cousins hit a three and flashed the three point sign towards the Clippers bench before hitting another three in a row the next time he was in front of them. He then had a steal, assist and rebound later before fouling out completely with 8:51 left.

Durant broke the 100-point mark for Golden State with a three and also helped them reach their biggest lead of the game, at 22 with the 102-80 score with 3:58 left.

Up Next: The Warriors will stay in town to face the Los Angeles Lakers Monday at 7:30 pm.

Kings’ comeback effort falls short in 127-118 loss to the Clippers

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: London Marq

On Wednesday the Kings were facing the other team in L.A. It was battle of California teams at the Staples Center as the Clippers hosted the up and coming Sacramento team.

The Clippers opened the game on a mission with a 12-3 run, carving through the young Sacramento team like swiss cheese. Tobias Harris had it going early, from deep. He would end the game with 17 points and 6 rebounds. Sacramento played with good energy staying true to their run-and-gun mentality, but a lack of effort defensively kept them behind the gun.

Montrezl Harrell had a dominant game playing a feisty brand of basketball along the baseline. His effort led to second chance points and smoothing defense around the rim on both sides of the floor. Harrell completed the game one rebound short of a double-double, 27 points and 9 boards. The Clippers controlled the game in the first half and would go into the locker rooms with a big lead, 71-48.

The Kings would have their day in the second half, however. De’Aaron Fox, the Kings young stud point guard would start to find his rhythm find his shot from beyond the arch and slashing through the lane. Fox finished with 19 points leading all Kings for the night. The Kings would surge in the third quarter and get the lead back to 10 with three and half minutes left in the period. Lou Williams would punch the Kings right back as he started dropping threes all over the Kings’ defense. He finished 4-of-5 from deep, with 24 points.

The Kings, as they often have this season tried to get the last quarter run in effect and just as they have so far, they were successful. Late in the fourth, the Kings would rattle off a 24-1 run against the Clippers starting when the game score was 118-91. They would battle to get the game to within 3, but a clutch play by Harrell, kept the Kings at bay and the Clippers walk away with the home win.

Final: Clippers defeated the Kings 127-118.

Up Next: The Kings return home to host the Lakers on Thursday at 7:00 pm.

Cardiac Kings do it again with a fourth quarter, come-from-behind 122-117 win over the Pelicans

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Harry Giles III tips the ball back into the basket Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings won their second consecutive come from behind in the fourth quarter game on Sunday night as they defeated Anthony “the Brow” Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans 122-117. The Kings trailed the Pelicans by as many as 19 points in the contest, and frankly, it did not appear that the home team would have enough momentum to overcome the New Orleans lead.

The Kings had trouble putting the ball in the basket right from the beginning of the game. At one point in the first quarter, Sacramento was shooting just 25-percent from the field while New Orleans was hitting more than 50-percent of their shots. The Pels dominated the paint and were converting high percentage shots. The Kings were not taking bad shots, but their shots were not dropping.

The Kings shooting improved in the second quarter (48.1-percent) and they were able to match the Pelicans point for point. Each team scored 33 points in the second period. Buddy Hield led the scoring attack for SAC with nine points. New Orleans was paced by Jrue Holiday who hit 7-of-9 shots for 14 points.

At the half, New Orleans held a 69-58 lead over Sacramento.

The third quarter was dominated by a former Wildcat and Sooner. New Orleans center Anthony Davis scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds for his team as they scored 27 points in the period. Buddy Hield led the charge for Sacramento scoring 11 points in the third. He went for 4-for-4 shooting (3-for-3 from 3-point land). The Kings won the quarter 28-27. At the end of 36 minutes, the Pelicans held a 96-86 lead over the Kings.

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Koufos and Miller jump ball in 4th quarter Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings went on a comeback run that saw them outscore the Pelicans 36-21 in the final quarter. Sacramento was paced by De’Aaron Fox and Bogdan Bogdanovic who each scored nine points in the period. Buddy Hield stayed hot as he recorded eight points. Willie Cauley-Stein hauled in nine of his career-high 17 rebounds in the final 12-minutes. The Kings went on a mission in the final quarter and they were not going to be denied. When the final buzzer sounded, the Kings (18-15) had defeated the Pelicans (15-19) 122-117.

Willie Cauley-Stein had a monster game

The Kings center played just over 35-minutes in his team’s victory. He scored 22 points and made it a double-double as he pulled down a career-high 17 (four offensive) rebounds. WCS shot 10-for-19 from the floor and went 2-for-4 from behind the 3-point line. The big man also made three steals in the game.

 

 

 

 

De’Aaron Fox posted a double-double

The Kings versatile point guard made it a double-double game in the win over the Pelicans on Sunday night. He scored 19 points and dished out 11 assists. Fox also added two steals. He did all of this while still nursing a sore shoulder injured in the game on Friday with Memphis.

“Buddy Buckets” was amazing again

Buddy Hield was the leading scorer in the game on Sunday. He put 28 points in the book in 36-plus minutes of playing time. Hield shot 11-for-16 from the field and hit 6-of-11 from behind the 3-point arc. He also pulled in six rebounds.

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Buddy Hield lets it fly from 3-point land Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

Bogi comes up Big

Bogdan Bogdanovic is finding his legs and really getting into the flow of the game. On Sunday afternoon, he scored 24 points shooting 7-for-16 from the floor. Bogdanovic hit 2-of-5 from long range and converted 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. He also dished out seven dimes.

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Bogi sinks one from the free throw line Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

Coach Joerger summarizes the game

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pelicans numbers

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  • Leading scorer Jrue Holiday with 27 points, seven rebounds, and six assists
  • Anthony Davis scored 26 points pulled down 17 rebounds (double-double) plus four assists and four blocked shots
  • Julius Randle put up 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds

The Pelicans were extremely frustrated after the loss to the Kings. Giving up a 19 point lead and losing by five points will make you walk the aisle of the plane all the way back to the “Big Easy” out of frustration.

Up next

The Kings next game will be on Wednesday, December 26 at the Staples Center versus the Los Angeles Clippers. The Kings lost to the Clippers at the Golden 1 Center on November 29, 133-121.

The Pelicans next game will be in Dallas on December 26. New Orleans beat the Mavs on December 5th, 132-105.

Warriors outlast the Clippers in a heart-pounding thriller 129-127

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors had their hands full as the Los Angeles Clippers made 13-of-16 3-point shots in the first half and 18-for-23 in the game. The 13 3s in the first half were a franchise (and NBA) record for the Clippers. The Clippers were raining down 3s on the Warriors, and the team had to find a way to play defense. The Warriors were facing a club that loves to run and were able to find men open to attempt the 3-point bombs.

The Clippers this year bear no resemblance to the Clipper teams of the past five years. All-Stars Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan are playing elsewhere. The Clipper offense now features Danilo Gallinari, Tobias Harris, Montrezl Harrell, and Lou Williams. Williams’ eyes light up when he plays the Warriors. The last time he played at Oracle Arena, he torched the Warriors for 51 points. The last time the Warriors played the Clippers in LA, they lost 121-116 in overtime. The Warriors wanted to even the score Sunday night. The Warriors did just that as they won a thriller 129-127.

The first half was a fast-paced affair. As mentioned earlier, the Clippers were raining down threes. The connected at a record pace as they made an NBA 13-in-16 attempts. The Warriors attempted 16 3s, but connected on five. What kept the Warriors in the first half was their ability to go to the free throw line. The Warriors did not miss a free throw, and they outscored the Clips 24-10 from the charity stripe. The game was tied at 48 when the Clips went on a 9-2 run to take a 7-point lead. The Clips increased the lead to 11 71-60. The Warriors went on a 7-0 run to finish the first half trailing 71-67.

The scoring leaders for LA were Gallinari with 14. He was 2-for-2 from three-point range. Tobias Harris knocked down 19, and he was 5-for-5 in 3-point attempts. Lou Williams, coming off the bench tallied 11, and he made one 3-pointer. The Clippers shot 52.2% from the floor and an astounding 81.2% from 3-point land.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 22. Kevin Durant had 14, Draymond Green had 11 and Klay Thompson added 7.

In the third quarter, as they have done so many times, the Warriors got their offense going, and their defense shut down the Clipper offense as they outscored them 36-23 to finish the third quarter leading 103-94.

The Clippers started the fourth quarter on an 8-0 to cut the deficit to 1. The fans were squirming in their seats as the Clippers appeared to have found the key to success.  The Warriors were able to match the Clippers until LA made a bucket to grab the lead 117-116. Durant hit a shot to put the Warriors ahead 118-117. Curry made a 3 and was fouled. He made the free throw to complete a 4-point play. Durant followed with a 3, and the Warriors led 125-117 with time running down. However, the Clippers would not capitulate. They came back to tie the game at 127. The clock was running out, and the Warriors had the ball for the last shot. The Warriors brought the ball down for the final shot. Curry drove down the lane and mad the layup with just 0.5 seconds left in the game. The Clipper called a timeout so that they could take the ball in the forecourt. They needed someone to make a catch and shoot. They tried, but their attempt failed, and the Warriors finished with the win 129-127.

Game Notes and Stats: Steph Curry led the team with 40 points. Kevin Durant had another double-double with 35 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. Draymond Green finished with 14. Klay Thompson, mired in a mini-slump, added 14. Kevon Looney tallied 10 coming off the bench. Jonas Jerebko started in place of Looney and scored 7 points.

The Clippers were led by Tobias Harris’ 32 points and 9 boards. He made six 3s in seven attempts. Danilo Gallinari put in 25 and had 11 rebounds. He hit five 3s in five attempts. Lou Williams had 25, Avery Bradley had 12, Montrezl Harrel had 13, and Patrick Beverley added 10.

The Warriors shot 45.2% from the floor and made 14 threes in 40 attempts. The Warriors, on defense, made 9 steals and blocked 8 shots. They committed 7 turnovers compared to the Clippers’ 15. The Clippers shot 53.7% from the floor and made 18 3s in 23 attempts good for an amazing 78.3%

The Warriors improved to 23-11, and the Clippers fell to 19-14.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Lakers on Christmas Day at 5:00 pm. It will be the first meeting of the season for the Warriors and the rebuilt Lakers.

The Lakers’ all-star forward, LeBron James, has had this date circled on the calendar ever since he signed with the after the end of last season.

Kings drop third straight, 133-121, to the Clippers

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings 

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The last time the Sacramento Kings played was on Sunday. The last time the Los Angeles Clippers played was on Wednesday. The logical conclusion to draw would be that the Kings would come out fresh and the Clippers would appear to be sluggish. The opposite happened was true on Thursday night at the Golden 1 Center. The Clippers came out in full force, scoring 42 points in the opening quarter. The Kings managed to put up a respectable 26 points, but it was no match for the offensive outburst by the Clippers. The Kings would have to cool down the red-hot Clippers in the second quarter to stay in the game.

The Kings would do just that. Led by Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Aaron Fox the Kings were able to rally the game closer. After the half, the Kings would be down only by three points 71-68.

In the third, we started nearly even with both teams looking for a leg up! The Clippers would hold onto a slight advantage. Both teams went back and forth shooting baskets and drawing fouls. When it was all said and done, the Clippers extended the lead to 101-93. At this point, the leading scorers were Marvin Bagley (18), De’Aaron Fox (17), and Bogdan Bogdanovic (16) for the Kings. For the Clippers, Tobias Harris led the way with 21 points through three quarters.

Unfortunately for Kings fans, that glimmer of hope wouldn’t last long. The Clippers would go on a roll to score 32 and put away the Kings 133-121.

Perhaps overshadowing the game was the developing story of Dave Joerger and Brandon Williams feud. It was widely reported earlier in the day that Dave Joerger told Brandon Williams to leave shoot-around on Thursday afternoon. This stemming from the rumors that Joerger and Williams have had disagreements on various decisions regarding the Kings for a while now. Keep an eye out on Sports Radio Service for updates on this developing story.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to play the Indiana Pacers on Saturday at 7:00 PM PST.

Warriors fall to the Clippers 121-116 in OT

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors played the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center on Monday night. They were on the short end of the score as the Clippers beat them 121-116 in overtime. This Clipper team, coached by Doc Rivers, does not resemble the Clippers of past seasons. Guard Chris Paul was traded to Houston before the start of the season last year. Blake Griffin was sent to Detroit halfway through the 2017-18 season, and center DeAndre Jordan is now with Dallas.

The revamped Clipper lineup now features Marcin Gortat at center. Gortat came to LA when the Clippers sent guard Austin Rivers to Washington. Forwards Danilo Gallinari and Tobias Harris have led the Clippers in scoring. Gallinari is averaging 19.4 point-per-game, and Harris ‘ average is slightly better with 20.4 PPG. Patrick Beverley and Shai Gilfeous-Alexander hold down the guard positions. Montrezel Harrell and Lou Williams are the key players coming off the bench for LA.

The Warriors fell behind early in the first quarter and the only time they didn’t trail in the entire game was when they tied the score at 28 with 2:21 left in the first quarter. The Clippers regained the lead and led by four, 34-30, after the first 12 minutes of action.

The second quarter was more of the same. The Clippers maintained the lead and every time the Warriors closed the gap, the Clippers responded with a bucket. The Warriors trailed by two 57-53 with 3:32 to play in the first half. LA increased the lead to 60-55, but the Warriors cut the lead to one 62-61 on a Kevin Durant 3-pointer. LA responded with a bucket and finished the first half ahead 64-61.

Durant was the only Warrior in double figures in the first half. He finished the half with 21 points. Klay Thompson was second with seven. Thompson went cold and was 3-for-11 in the half. Quinn Cook had 4, Kevon Looney 6, and Andre Iguodala 7.

The Clippers had four starters in double-digits. Gortat had 10, Gallinari 12, Harris, 11, Gilgeous-Alexander 10, and Harrell had 9 coming off the bench.

Thompson hit a bucket to start the third quarter, and the Warriors trailed by one. The Clippers went on a 6-0 run and led 70-63. The Warriors could not get anything going as LA continued to outplay them on both ends of the court. The Warriors, who had just three turnovers in the first half, turned the ball over eight times. There was no spark in their play. With 1:26 left, Kevin Durant had to sit down as he committed his fifth foul. Things looked bad as there was no one to pick up the slack on offense and the defense could not stop the Clippers. The Clippers led 90-81 after three quarters.

LA continued to take the game to the Warriors. They led by 13, 103-90, as the game was winding down. Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr inserted Durant back into the game and the Warriors, behind Thompson and Durant, went on a 16-5 run to tie the game at 106 as time ran out and the game went to overtime.

The Warriors went ahead 109-106 when Andre Iguodala knocked down a three. With 3:53 to play, the referees called a foul on Durant, and he was done for the night. Thompson hit a three to put the Warriors up 111-108. The Clippers came back and tied the game. The Warriors tied it again at 113. The Warriors’ nemesis, Lou Williams, made a two-point shot, but was fouled on the play. Williams made the free throw. The Clips increased the lead to 116-113, but Thompson connected on another three to tie it at 116. The Warriors did not score again. Williams scored the last five points of the night, and the Clippers won 121-116.

Game Notes and Stats: Steph Curry did not play Monday night. However, Draymond Green and Shaun Livingston returned to action.

With the loss, the Warriors are now 11-3 for the year, and the Clippers are now 8-5. The new-look Clippers beat both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Warriors in overtime.

Kevin Durant had a monster night for Golden State in a losing effort. He knocked down 33 points, recorded 11 rebounds, and had 9 assists.

Klay Thompson scored 31. Thompson had seven in the first half and got hot late in the game to score 24 in the second half.

Andre Iguodala was the only other Warrior in double figures with 14.

The Clippers had four starters in double-digits: Gortat had 12, Gallinari 14, Harris 17, Gilgeous-Alexander 18, Montrezel Harrell, who came to LA from Houston in the trade for Chris Paul, had a big night with 23 point and 8 rebounds. Lou Williams kicked in with 25. Williams had 11 from the floor and was 14 for 14 from the 3-point line.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night at 7:30 pm PT.

Clippers get back to .500, complete sweep over Kings

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Pearl Allison Lo

LOS ANGELES — Despite their injuries, the Clippers worked back to an even-steven record in a towering 126-105 win over the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center Saturday.

The last time Los Angeles was at .500 was on November 7. Along with a four-game win streak, the Clippers completed a four-game sweep over Sacramento, sweeping the team for the first time since the 2013-14 regular season. This blowout continued a trend of close then blowout games between the teams.  

Los Angeles was facing the Kings for the second game in a row. Thursday was when the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan got injured, and to be safe, Jordan (ankle) missed his first career game due to injury in 10 years.

Willie Reed, who started instead of Jordan, got his first double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-tying 13 rebounds.

Los Angeles’ Lou Williams led all scorers with 26 points. Sacramento’s Willie Cauley-Stein had a double-double of 23 points and a game-tying 13 rebounds. Teammate De’Aaron Fox also had a double-double of 17 points and a game-high 10 assists.

Clippers’ forward Blake Griffin’s thoughts on them being a fun team to coach were, “…even with all the injuries and having to be on the sideline. This team really bonds with each other, really vibes well with each other. I think we just play hard…I agree with [Doc Rivers] that this is a really fun team and we have kind of a special bond.”

Los Angeles led ever since 9:39 left in the first when it was 5-4.

The Kings started off with a 4-0 run but then the Clippers surpassed them with a 10-0 run, initiated by Reed’s triple. Sacramento either missed or lost the ball, as they missed three 3-pointers. Griffin accounted for half of the 10 points, as he and Milos Teodosic both hit threes. Garrett Temple was able to score four points, but Williams was able to score three free throws from one of Sacramento’s fouls with 6:08 left.

The Kings could not connect on more than two possessions as Los Angeles went to the line four times. The Clippers shot 58.8% from the field while Sacramento shot 36.4%. Los Angeles’ Tyrone Wallace led all scorers with six points. Reed had five rebounds and two steals.

On the turnover troubles and taking care of the ball, Kings’ head coach Dave Joeger replied, “It’s just bad passes and bad ball-handling. It’s just individual work and guys just got to improve their individual skills.”

Fox mentioned, “…It happens, that’s the cost of playing fast. We’re still getting used to it and trying to cut down…”

In the second, the Kings never got closer than 13, but improved greatly in getting their biggest run so far at seven points, Cauley-Stein with four points and Vince Carter hitting a three with 6:07 left. Sacramento also went to the free throw line and scored from beyond the arc for the first time and shot 45.8% from the field.  The Clippers reached their highest lead of the game at the time, 21 points with 19.3 seconds left, but Buddy Hield pulled up for a first half score of 64-45. Williams led in the second with 10 points and three steals, Fox had seven points and four assists and Cauley-Stein nabbed six rebounds.

Cauley-Stein pointed out, “Our energy didn’t really come until the second-half, so by then they already got us in a hole and you got to try to chip away. You can’t make any mistakes if you want to play like that.”

The Clippers’ dominance continued to hold as the Kings were held at least 14 points away. The Clippers’ lead reached a high of 23 points when Jawun Evans, after heading to the basket, dropped the ball back to Montrezl Harrell, who followed up with a jam into the net.

In the final quarter, Los Angeles’ lead grew to 25 and the closest Sacramento got was 15. This was the only time the Kings were able to outscore the Clippers, 37-35, when Sacramento shot 75% from the field.

Regarding growing pains, Cauley-Stein suggested, “…it’s got to come from us holding each other accountable. Like enough is enough. I think coach is at that point where he’s not going to play you if you’re not doing the right thing and I think that’s how it should be. Kind of like a college team…we’re also young and a lot of us just came out of college too…”

Game notes: Los Angeles’ C.J. Williams continued his absence with a sprained right ankle.

Up next: Sacramento will finish their two-game road trip versus the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday at 5 pm PT.

Kings’ comeback falls short as Clippers run away with 121-115 win

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jordan Chapin

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On a Thursday night in Sacramento, the Los Angeles Clippers came into town after arguably their biggest win of the season against the Golden State Warriors. They kept their momentum going tonight, edging the Sacramento Kings, 121-115, at the Golden 1 Center.

In a game where DeAndre Jordan went down with an ankle sprain in the first half, Montrezl Harrell stepped up in a big way, shooting a near perfect 11-for-12, and ending his night with 25 points. Despite brilliant efforts from George Hill and a new career-high in points with 22 from Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Kings turned on the switch too little, too late.

In the first half, the Kings trailed as much as 14 points, and Lou Williams proceeded to have a field day. Williams had 21 points by the end of the first half and ended the game with 30. Sacramento trailed throughout the entirety of the game, until Zach Randolph hit a go-ahead jump shot to give the Kings the lead with four minutes to go. In crunch time, big players stepped up in big ways, after a Blake Griffin three-pointer and a Williams fadeaway jumper, the Kings didn’t have enough to match the Clippers and lost the battle against the clock.

Sacramento did shoot pretty well as a team at 50%, but struggled from behind the arc, shooting only 30%. Offensively, the Kings did well, ending with six players in double-digit scoring and assisting on 23 baskets. L.A. was just flat out the better team, with more star players, and a bit more fire power, even with key players being out. This is Sacramento’s third loss this year to the Clippers, but they have an opportunity to steal a game in the series finale at the Staples Center. This Thursday night loss extends the Kings home losing streak to 11 games.

Up next for the Kings is their second trip in Los Angeles in three days where they will battle the Clippers once again on Saturday night. It is questionable that Jordan will return from his ankle injury, but you can bet Williams will be coming out hot, as he has done for the last 12 years.

After that, they will fly to Oklahoma City and face a team in the Thunder that they beat earlier in the season, so you know OKC will be coming out hard and aggressive.

Sacramento Kings
Star of the Game: George Hill
George Hill had one of his best games of the season, shooting only 5-for-13 from the field, but was 10-of-13 from the free throw line. Hill played very aggressive throughout the whole game and was the biggest key for Sacramento getting back into the ball game. He ended with 21 points, three rebounds, and three assists.

Key Stats
-Six players in double-digits
-Bogdan Bogdanovic set a new career high with 22 points
-Kosta Koufos has recorded 29 rebounds in last two games
-Sacramento allowed 43 points in the second quarter, which is a season-high for an opponent in a quarter.

Los Angeles Clippers
Star of the Game: Montrezl Harrell
Montrezl Harrell had a season-high 25 points tonight and filled a huge gap when DeAndre Jordan went down early. Harrell played with major energy off the bench and  was nearly perfect scoring around the basket. He shot 11-for-12 from the field, but struggled from the free throw line shooting a poor 3-for-9. Harrell capped off his night with six rebounds and a Clippers victory.

Key Stats
-Lou Williams scored 70 points in two nights
-Assisted on 28 made baskets
-Shot 51% from the field and 42% from three-point land
-Blake Griffin ended with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists after missing a few games with a concussion