Tag: Los Angeles Clippers

Durant has historic night, but Warriors were routed by Clippers 125-106

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Photo credit: @bycycle

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors closed out a brief, two-game homestand with a game against the Los Angeles Clippers, whom they last faced on January 6 and blew out by a score of 121-105 at Staples Center.

The Warriors entered the game with a five-game win streak, while the Clippers were hoping to extend their win streak to two games. The Clippers previously escaped with a 108-107 win over the Atlanta Hawks on January 8.

Prior to the tipoff, the Harlem Globetrotters hung out with the Warriors before they played this weekend.

Zaza Pachulia opened the scoring with a two-point field goal attempt to give the Warriors an early lead. Pachulia later finished a break off the lob from Kevin Durant, who also showed fans why he deserves their votes for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.

Andre Iguodala hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 29 apiece with two minutes left in the first quarter. Both teams battled it out, but the Warriors were on top 35-32 at the end of the first.

The Warriors were down by two (42-40), but Durant came to the rescue with a three and a foul with 6:39 left in the second quarter. Golden State led Los Angeles by one (43-42).

The Warriors sparked a nice little run and Omri Casspi closed out the second with back-to-back buckets. Golden State carried a 62-58 lead to the locker room at halftime.

Here are the Warriors’ halftime stats:

It was obvious that Durant had himself a night with 25 points along with a career milestone and the game was nowhere near over. However, the Warriors needed great shots out of their offense if they wanted to secure a win against the Clippers. Golden State went into the fourth quarter in deep trouble, trailing the Clippers by seven (97-90) at the end of the third quarter.

Durant continued to shine as he accumulated more points in the fourth with 40, which was 10 less than Lou Williams’ 50 points for the Clippers, but nonetheless, a milestone to celebrate. The Warriors’ five-game win streak was snapped by the Clippers, who routed the home team by a score of 125-106.

Here are the Warriors’ final stats:

Notes
Warriors’ starting lineup: Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Young and Shaun Livingston.

Warriors’ injury update: Stephen Curry (sprained right ankle) and Klay Thompson (rest) are out. Kevin Durant (right calf strain), Draymond Green (right knee soreness) and Andre Iguodala (left knee & hip soreness) are available to play.

Durant had his seventh 30-point game of the season with 30 points on 10-of-12 from the field (and a perfect 4-of-4 from the three-point range).

Durant is the second youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points (behind only LeBron James) and is the first player to score his 20,000th career point as a Warrior.

Warriors owner and CEO Joe Lacob turned 62 today.

Clippers’ starting lineup: Jawun Evans, Lou Williams, CJ Williams, Wesley Johnson and DeAndre Jordan.

Up Next
The Warriors take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday at 7 pm CT.

Clippers lose Griffin and game to Warriors 121-105, Curry scores season-high 45 points

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~ Photo credit: @warriors

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ LOS ANGELES–The Stephen Curry show led the Golden State Warriors to a 121-105 rout over the Los Angeles Clippers as Curry scored 45 points in three quarters at the Staples Center Saturday.

Though the Warriors had a bit of a slow and poor shooting start, Curry scored 17, 12 and 16, respectively. He also had a career-high 15 free throws along with his seven three’s on 11-of-21 shooting, as Golden State’s lead stretched as high as 30.

Regarding feeling pretty good, Curry replied, “Yeah, just trying to start off the game right. It’s obviously weird playing a 12:30 game…you got to find a little bit of energy and something to build momentum…obviously unfortunate to see Blake (Griffin) go out. I hope he’s alright.”  

Los Angeles was within three after the first quarter, but Blake Griffin never returned to the game, after suffering a concussion with 2:11 left in the first. He received an elbow to the forehead from JaVale McGee, which knocked him down and one could see his right hand shaking. Luckily, he was able to get up later with help. For the already depleted Clippers, it was their second blow in a row as Milos Teodosic did not play after leaving the last game.  

The Warriors ended with a 3-0 road trip as part of a four-game win streak, averaging 121 points a game. It was their 12th win versus Los Angeles and 10th straight road win. The Clippers fell just shy of garnering 106 points their last nine games.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr commented, saying the game “was mainly about Steph tonight.”

The leading scorers on Golden State after Curry were McGee and Nick Young with 11 apiece and David West and Klay Thompson with 10 apiece. On a poor shooting night for Thompson, 4-of-16, Thompson doubled his five points in the first half in the third. Draymond Green almost had a double-double with nine points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Andre Iguodala had seven assists too.

Lou Williams led the Clippers with 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting, rivaling Curry in the first with 13 points in the opening quarter. Next after Williams was DeAndre Jordan with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, Tyrone Wallace (his first NBA game) with 13 points, Jawun Evans with 12 points and seven assists and Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell with nine points apiece, Harrell also with 10 rebounds.  

The Warriors did not get their second bucket of the game until 8:06 left in the first, when Curry was fouled and scored a pair of free throws. That led to a turnover by Griffin and resulting Green dunk shot.  Curry made his first three with 6:55 to go, giving Golden State their first lead until the second with under five minutes to go.

Later Curry drove to the basket before passing out for an assist and got the ball back outside the three point line. He put his arms up and drew the foul to make three free throws.

It then became the Warriors and threes led by Curry versus Williams, as Golden State built a 10-point lead. Williams scored three straight baskets, but Green and Curry combined for three three’s with Curry making a second chance three as well.

Los Angeles went on a 7-0 run to end the quarter, with William scoring the last five points with a three to make it 28-31. Curry tried to replicate on the other end but missed at the buzzer.

The field goal percentage at the end of the quarter was Warriors (33.3%) and Clippers (47.6%).

With the majority of the second period close, the max lead at six and within one four times, Sam Dekker tied the game at 50 apiece at 3:30. This held until Iguodala made the first of two free throws 31 seconds later and Golden State never looked back.

It was the Warriors’ turn to end the quarter as they went on a 12-5 run. Curry made his first three of the second with 2:14 left. With 1:06 left, Thompson hit his first three, then Curry had the last six points from the line and runs to the basket twice, until Williams scored with .2 seconds left. Golden State ended with a nine-point lead, 64-55.

The shooting percentage leads reversed after the third quarter, with the Warriors shooting 52.2% and Los Angeles shooting 33.3%.

Golden State went on an 11-4 run, started by Curry’s first three, another three by Thompson and culminating with three free throws from Curry with 5:49 left to go for an 18-point lead.

The Warriors’ lead reached its 30-point high with under a minute left after a 22-6 run. That was sparked by a three from Curry and also included a pair of three’s from Young.   

When asked if it would be fair to say every time Steph shot a three, it seemed to spark Golden State’s runs, Kerr replied, “I would say it was fair. It’s fair to say that. When he gets going like that, he sparks the whole building.”

Clippers’ coach Doc Rivers message to the team was, “Golden State are the world champions. We have 90 points of offense sitting in street clothes. I thought their offensive assault affected us…You back up to no one ever…If they’re better, let them be better, but make them be better.”

With Curry on the bench, the fourth quarter was the best and worst for Los Angeles and the Warriors points-wise, 29-18.

Game notes: On playing all 13 of his players, Kerr expressed, “it just felt like one of those games you play everybody, old school, like YMCA with the kids. Everybody has to play, and it was a good day for that.”

Due to Los Angeles’ need for guard help, Wallace was signed, while Jamil Wilson was waived January 5th.

Recent injuries from the past for both teams continued with Kevin Durant out again for Golden State.

Green got his 11th technical for arguing a non-call on the play after Griffin’s injury.

Up next: The Warriors head back home for two games now to play the Denver Nuggets Monday at 7:30pm and then the Clippers again.

Harrell leads efficient Clippers over Kings 122-95

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~ (Photo by John McCoy, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ Los Angeles’ Montrezl Harrell had a season-high in points and rebounds as Sacramento endured a bigger drubbing than last Tuesday, 122-95.

The Clippers shot 55% from the field, compared to 41.7%, had almost double the amount of threes, and went to the line 27 times.  

Harrell scored 22 points with eight rebounds. In the fourth quarter, he scored 12 points, got seven rebounds and went to the line four times.

The Kings meanwhile continued a WW-LL pattern. Sacramento’s opponents have scored over 100 points in the Kings’ last eight losses and Los Angeles has scored over 100 points in each of their last four games.

No one on the Kings scored over 10 points except for Willie Cauley-Stein. He had 17 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Lou Williams added 21 points for the Clippers, Milos Teodosic had a season-high 10 assists and teammate Austin Rivers was held to eight points. It was Rivers’ lowest total  since he returned from a concussion, ending a four game double point streak.

Both were close in the beginning with 30 apiece in the first quarter, but then the discrepancy grew to 18 as scored Los Angeles scored 41 and Sacramento 23 in the second. The first half points allowed matched a season record for the Kings.  Sacramento’s last lead came with 10:30 left in the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Milos Teodosic had six points and five assists while the Kings went to the free throw line five times. Starting with 7:26 left, the Clippers extended their lead to double digits with 11. Los Angeles’ Sam Dekker’s touch into the net with 5:05 left (also an 11 point difference) would be the closest the Kings got for the rest of the game.

Los Angeles stretched a 12-0 run in between the third and fourth quarters.

Sacramento’s Justin Jackson got the score to within 19 points after a three with 2:45 left to go, but then the Clippers scored the last eight points. Meanwhile, after the Kings’ Malachi Richardson was blocked by Willie Reed, Sacramento missed their last five shots with three attempts by Georgios Papagiannis.

Game notes: Sacramento plays the second of back-to-back games Tuesday at 7pm hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a six-game homestand.

Third quarter collapse costs Kings the game as Clippers win 97-95

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Z-Bo vs DeAndre Jordan
Two heavyweights face off: Zach Randolph and DeAndre Jordan photo: USA Today Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – The Sacramento Kings played great basketball for 36-minutes on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. Unfortunately for the Kings, the 12-minutes they did not play well in the third quarter cost them the game as they lost to LAC 97-95.

The Kings went on a 6-0 run with 1:20 remaining in the game to the tie the score at 95-95 with 15.6-seconds to go on the game clock. The Clippers called a timeout with 14.8-seconds to go to draw up a play.

The Clippers put the ball into the hands of their leading scorer Blake Griffin who made a fadeaway jump shot from the left side of the floor to give his team a two-point lead with 3.7-seconds remaining in the game. LAC head coach Doc Rivers would later say he was not happy because his team took that shot too early leaving the Kings too much time on the clock.

Buddy Hield put up a desperation floating jump shot at the buzzer but it was no good. The Clippers (7-11) won their second game in row downing the Kings (5-14) by just two points.

The 3rd Quarter was a nightmare for Sacramento

The Kings scored only 10 points in the third quarter versus the Clippers after posting 61 points in the first half. LAC came out with a defensive mindset and dominated SAC.

The Kings shot 45.8-percent for the game but shot only 21.1-percent (4-for-19) in the disastrous quarter. They converted 11-of-21 three-point attempts for the game but went 0-for-4 in the third quarter.

Sacramento had one assist while they turned the ball over eight times which resulted in seven points for the Clippers.

Ten Kings players saw action in the third quarter, but only four of them scored points. All 10 players had a minus number on their +/- stat for the quarter.

Blake Griffin and Lou Williams led the scoring for the Clippers with 12 points each. Los Angeles shot 55.6-percent (10-for-18) from the field and hit on 6-of-8 (75-percent) 3-point attempts in the third period.

The Kings outscored the Clippers in every quarter except the third when LAC recorded 29 points to just 10 for SAC.

Dave Joerger was not happy with the loss but he knows it is part of player development

“Buddy Buckets” leads the Kings in scoring

Buddy Hield had an exceptional game for Sacramento coming off the bench scoring 27 points in just under 26-minutes of playing time. The second-year shooting guard hit 10-of-18 shots from the floor. Nine of those shots were taken behind the 3-point line and Hield hit seven of those attempts for 21 of his 27 points. His back-to-back 3-pointers in the last 1:20 of the game put the Kings in a position to possibly win the contest.

One of the criticisms of Hield coming out of Oklahoma was that he would not be able to convert the longer 3-point shot in the NBA. It certainly appears to have proved those critics were wrong. Hield has adjusted just fine to the deeper 3-point zone in “the Association”.

Zach Randolph drew the very tough assignment of matching up with Clippers big, tough center DeAndre Jordan. Not only did Z-Bo play Jordan tough – he held the center to five points. Jordan did haul in a game-high 16 rebounds.  Z-Bo put up 17 points shooting 7-for-14 in the game. Randolph also added seven rebounds, three assists and one steal in his 30-plus minutes of playing time.

Bogdan Bogdanovic posted 10-points on Saturday night. He shot 50-percent hitting on 4-of-8 shots from the field. He was 1-for-2 from 3-point land.

George Hill also scored 10 points against the Clippers on Saturday night. He went 4-for-7 shooting from the floor and hit 1-of-2 attempts from 3-point territory. Hill also dished out three assists.

SAC had some impressive team numbers

The Kings shot 33-for-83 (45.8-percent) from the floor versus the Clippers. They shot an impressive 52.4-percent (11-for-21) from downtown. SAC converted 8-of-9 free throw opportunities (88.9-percent). The nine free throw attempts number is too low.

Sacramento recorded 37 rebounds (eight offensive) to go with 19 assists, nine steals and eight blocked shots. The Kings committed 18 turnovers which resulted in 15 Clipper points.

Doc Rivers was happy to see his team pick up its second consecutive win

Blake Griffin played like an All-Star

The veteran forward scored a game-high 33-points in his 38-plus minutes on the floor. Griffin shot 13-for-25 from the field but was just 2-for-7 from behind the 3-point line. He recorded five assists and had four rebounds.

Lou Williams scored 10 of his 18 points in the second-half. He shot 4-for-8 from the floor. All four of his baskets were 3-point buckets. His other six-points came two 2-point baskets and at the free throw line. Williams also posted five assists and had three steals.

Up Next

Sacramento

Life does not get any easier for the Kings as on Monday night they have to travel to the Bay Area to take on the Defending NBA World Champion Golden Warriors (15-5).

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers will also return to action on Monday night when they will host the guys who use the locker room on the other side of the Staples Center – the Los Angeles Lakers.

 

Kings Press Row Podcast: Week 6 in the NBA

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

press row podcast

hosts Lee Leonard and Charlie O. Mallonee

  • What’s happening in Week 6 in the NBA?

  • The Kings were blown out in Atlanta – how did they respond when they came home to face the Trail Blazers?

  • Sacramento lost to Denver – is that a cause for concern?

  • What’s coming up for the Kings? (hint: the battle of the rookie point guards!)

LonzoLV FOX

Warriors get it together and they lower the boom on the Clippers 141-113

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, knocks the ball lose from Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, center, as he is defended by forward Draymond Green, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Oct. 30, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Los Angeles – The Warriors played their best game of the year as they defeated the Clippers for the 11th straight time by a score of 141-113.

The Clippers lost guards Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, and sixth man Jamal Crawford in the offseason. They were replaced by Patrick Beverly, Danilo Gallinari, and Lou Williams. The Clippers had eleven new players on the roster for coach Doc Rivers, but the result was the same. They lost to the Warriors.

The first quarter was fairly competitive. The teams were tied 20-20 when the Warriors started to take charge. Shaun Livingston made the next bucket to make it 22-20, and the Warriors began to pull away. They increased the lead to six at the end of the period 34-28. Ja Vale McGee knocked down a couple of lobs, and the Warriors were now in control.

The Dubs scored forty points in the second quarter and led by 17 at the half. They were making all the shots as they were 60% from the floor. Everyone was playing well, and the team committed just four turnovers in the first 24 minutes. Steph Curry led the scoring with 16 points. Draymond had 13, Kevin Durant 14, and Klay Thompson had 11. The leading scorers for LA were Blake Griffin 10, Gallinari, 12, Beverly 6, DeAndre Jordan 6, Lou Williams 6, and Wesley Johnson 6. The score at the half was 74-57.

The Clippers went on a 10-2 run to start the second half. However, the Warriors regained their composure after the Clippers closed the deficit to just nine. The Warriors behind the stellar play of Steph Curry went on a 13-1 run near the end of the third quarter, and they finished the period with a twenty-one point lead 107-86.

The Warriors increased the lead to twenty-five 120-95 and then Coach Steve Kerr turned the game over to the bench. Jordan Bell, Patrick McCaw, Omri Casspi, Nick Young were on the floor with David West or Ja Vale McGee, and they coasted to the win. The final score was 141-113.

Game Notes and Stats – Steph led the Warriors with 31 points. Draymond Green had his best performance of the year with 16 points,6 assists, 9 rebounds, and one blocked shot. KD had 19, Klay added 15. Klay hit a three-point shot to extend his streak to 62 consecutive games. The bench performed well as they scored 54 points. Blake Griffin 16, Gallinari 19, Beverly 14, Jordan 10, and Lou Williams 17 were the Clippers scorers.

The Warriors recorded 37 assists and on defense had 46 rebounds, 8 steals, and 8 blocks.  The Warriors made 14 three-point shots in 29 attempts and committed just 12 turnovers for the entire game.

The Warriors improve to 5-3 while LA drops to 4-2. The Warriors travel to San Antonio to face the Spurs Thursday night. Game time is at 5 pm.

 

The Warriors obliterate the Clippers 144-98, Steph Curry puts on a show

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors, behind Steph Curry’ 43 point night, blew out the LA Clippers by 46 points 144-98. The Clippers were without their star guard Chris Paul, but even if he were able to play, there was no way to stop the Warriors on Saturday night.

The Clippers led 5-4  in the early going. That was the last time they would ever lead in the game. In the first quarter, Steph scored 12 and made two 3-point shots. They were ahead by 10 48-38 when they started to pull away from the Clips. Draymond Green made a sensational play on defense as he blocked a shot, then ran the court and took a pass and slammed in down to light up the crowd. The Dubs led by 18 69-51 near the end of the first half. Steph Curry sent the crowd into delirium when he hit a shot from half-court as the buzzer sounded to make it  72-51 after 24 minutes of play. Curry and Kevin Durant led the team with 18 each. Klay had 12.

The Warriors, who had a hard time in the third quarter against the Magic, Heat, and Hornets, returned to form and pounded the Clippers 45-23 in the period. Steph was on fire and seemed to make every shot he attempted. When the quarter ended, Steph had recorded 43 points and had made 9 3-point shots in just 34 minutes of playing time. The Dubs outscored the bewildered Clipper 45-23 and led 117-74 with 12 minutes left in the game.

Coach Steve Kerr pulled all his regulars from the game, Ian Clark, Patrick McCaw, Kevin Looney, James Michael McAdoo, and Anderson Varejao finished the game for Golden State. The Dubs’ bench outscored the Clippers’ bench 27-24. Dubs win 144-98.

Game Notes and Stats. The Warriors, with the win, improve to 40-7. The Clippers, in second place in the Pacific Division, fall to 30-18 and are 10.5 games behind the Warriors. Steph Curry’s line was 43 points, 6 assists, and 9 rebounds. Kevin Durant had another good game with 23 points,7 assists,4 boards and one blocked shot.Klay Thompson had 16, Draymond Green 5 points,5 assists, 5 rebounds, and two blocked shots. James Michael McAdoo had 10 points and four boards, Andre Iguodala had 9 points, 5 assists, and six rebounds. JaVale McGee scored 9 to go with 3 boards and 2 blocked shots.

The Clippers were led by Blake Griffin with 20, JJ Redick,13, Austin Rivers and Raymond Felton 10 each. The Warrior’s defense was superb again as they held DeAndre Jordan to 8 and super sub Jamal Crawford managed just 5. The Warriors controlled the boards 48-32, and they had 9 steals and 7 blocked shots. On offense, the Dubs shot a blistering 62% from the floor. They were 17-for-34 good for 50% on three-point attempts. They committed just 11 turnovers and forced the Clippers to turn the ball over 14 times.They made 57 shots from the floor and had 35 assists in the game.

The Dubs do not have long to savor the win as they play another back-to-back game Sunday night in Portland. The game will be on NBA TV, and it will start at 6 pm.

Kings battle the Clippers but come up short losing 106-98

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

 

LA Clippers v Sacramento Kings
Tipoff of Clippers vs Kings Photo: NBAE

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento — The Sacramento Kings had the unenviable job of trying to get back into the win column against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. The Clippers (25-14) came into the game winners of two consecutive games despite being short-handed due to injuries.

The Kings (15-21) literally went to battle with their rivals from Southern California but were unable to cross the finish line victorious losing 106-98.

Kings head coach Dave Joerger analyzed the game this way: “Good competitive basketball game. They’re a very talented team. They made more shots than we did. The lack of seeing the ball go in affected some of the other parts of out game. We had a tough stretch in the second quarter … they got some transition three’s. All in all good basketball game. The guys competed.”

When asked how his team is going to be able to beat teams like the Clippers in the future, Joerger responded, “They have just got to keep working and playing as hard as they can. Play at as high of a level as they can. There’s nothing to hang your head about. They (the Clippers) are one of the five best teams in the league.”

The Kings cut the Clippers lead to just two points, 100-98, with 56.2-seconds remaining in the game. After Sacramento turned the ball over on a bad pass by Cousins under the basket, the Kings had no choice but to foul the opposition. The Clippers went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in final seconds while Kings were unable to score.

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said, “The resolve, I thought that we showed in the fourth quarter was just fantastic. I love it.”

Key players returned for both teams

The Kings had been without Rudy Gay for nine games due to a right hip flexor strain. Gay was able to return to the lineup on Friday night and made an immediate impact scoring nine points in the first quarter.

Gay went on to play 33-minutes scoring 18 points and adding seven rebounds for his team. He shot 7-for-17 for the game and was just 1-for-3 from beyond the 3-point line, but there was bound to be some rust to shake off after the extended layoff.

LA Clippers v Sacramento Kings
Chris Paul returned to action for the Clippers on Friday after missing four games Photo: NBAE

Chris Paul made his return to the floor for the Clippers in the game. The all-star point guard had been sidelined for four consecutive games due to a sore left hamstring. Paul played 31-minutes and recorded a double-double by scoring 14 points and dishing out 12 assists.

Paul’s head coach, Doc Rivers, thought his defense down the stretch was what made the difference in the game for the Clippers.

The teams traded controlling the flow of the game

The Kings and Clippers each controlled the flow of the game in very distinct ways on Friday night. Sacramento was very much in charge in the first quarter as they outscored LAC 29-19 and shot 50-percent from the field. They seemed determined, ready and not totally dependent on DeMarcus Cousins.

Sacramento ran into a real rough patch in the second period as the Clippers erased their 10-point lead in less than six minutes. Los Angeles outscored the Kings 34-12 in the quarter behind the 3-point shooting of Austin Rivers and JJ Redick. Sacramento shot just 15-percent (3-for-20) in the period. At the half, the Clippers led the Kings 53-41.

Based on their play in the second quarter, the Kings could have been completely out of the game early if they did not come out strong after halftime. They responded to that challenge and shot the lights out in the third quarter. Sacramento behind Cousins’ 11 points outpaced the Clippers 32-22 in the period. The Kings shot 63.2-percent (12-for-19) from the field and hit 4-of-8 3-point opportunities as they closed the LA lead to just two points, 75-73, after 36 minutes of play.

The talent and experience of the Clippers came into play in the fourth quarter as they scored 31 points to the Kings 25. LAC shot 50-percent (9-for-18) from the floor and 50-percent (5-of-10) from 3-point land plus they converted 8-of-9 free throws in the final period. Chris Paul led the Clippers scoring attack with seven points all from the free throw line.

The Kings struggled as they shot 9-for-24 (37.5-percent) from the field and 33.3-percent (3-for-9) from long range in the quarter. They hit 4-of-5 from the charity stripe.

The flow of most games is not usually as defined as it was in this game and is much more difficult to uncover. In this game, it was almost like there was a giant flashing arrow pointing out a change in the direction of the flow of the game.

Key Performers

Kings

LA Clippers v Sacramento Kings
Ty Lawson played strong for the Kings vs the Clippers Photo: NBAE
  • DeMarcus Cousins scored a game-high 25 points and made it a double-double game by grabbing 11 rebounds. Cousins spent much of the night on the high post in order to avoid foul trouble by battling with DeAndre Jordan and Luc Mbah a Moute.
  • Darren Collison was very productive playing the two-guard most of the game. He scored 20 points shooting 7-for-13 from the floor and hitting 3-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc.
  • Ty Lawson put up 17 points while shooting 50-percent (6-for-12) from the floor. Lawson also distributed six assists from the point for the Kings.
  • Kosta Koufos played a diminished role with the change in rotation due to Gay’s return and the use of Collison and Lawson on the floor together. Dave Joerger praised Koufos for his professional attitude toward the changes. He scored seven points in 12-minutes of playing time. That was key playing time because it allowed DeMarcus Cousins to get very valuable rest.

Clippers

LA Clippers v Sacramento Kings
Austin Rivers scored 24 points for the Clippers against the Kings Photo: NBAE
  • Austin Rivers had another big game for LAC scoring 24 points in almost 36 minutes on the floor. Rivers hit 4-of-7 3-point shots.
  • DeAndre Jordan put up 20 points from the five spot on the floor. He was an incredible 9-for-10 on high percentage shots for the Clippers. Many of those shots were “slammed home with authority!”
  • JJ Redick did his job to perfection killing the Kings momentum with well timed field goals that totaled 19 points. Five of his six baskets were 3-point conversions.

Up next on the schedule

The Kings will return to action at home on Sunday night when they host the Golden State Warriors. Playing the Warriors is tough enough but now Golden State is going to come to Sacramento angry. The Warriors lost an overtime game at home to Memphis on Friday night. There were reports of anger between players spilling over in the locker room. Golden State will be determined not to lose two in a row.

The Clippers return to Los Angeles and will host the Miami Heat on Sunday at the Staples Center. The Heat lost to the Lakers 127-100 at Staples on Friday night. The Clippers have the opportunity to make it four consecutive wins in one week. That would be a nice way to kick off the new year.

Kings Game Preview: Clippers look for third consecutive win on Friday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
LA Clippers v Sacramento Kings
DeMarcus Cousins scored 38 points against the Clippers in November Photo: NBAE

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Tale of the Tape

Sacramento Kings 15-20

  • 8th place Western Conference – final Playoff slot if the season ended today
  •  15.5 games behind 1st place Golden State
  • one-half game ahead of 9th place Portland
  • Home 7-8 Road 8-12
  • Last 10 games 6-4
  • Current Streak Lost 1

Los Angeles Clippers 24-14

  • 4th place Western Conference
  • 8.0 games behind 1st place Golden State
  • 4.5 games behind 3rd place Houston
  • Home 13-6 Road 11-8
  • Last 10 games 4-6
  • Current streak Won 2

Results of last games played

Miami Heat v Sacramento Kings
Miami’s Tyler Johnson grabs the rebound Photo: NBAE

Sacramento

The Kings suffered an  embarrassing loss on Wednesday night at home to the lowly Miami Heat 107-102. The Heat came into the game with an 10-26 record and team that has been decimated by injury. Miami was without Hassan Whiteside (retinal contusion) and Justise Winslow (right shoulder that requires season-ending surgery). The Kings were without Rudy Gay (hip flexor) and coming off a win on Tuesday night on the road in Denver. The situation certainly seemed to favor Sacramento on their home court despite the back-to-back scenario.

The Heat came out fast and full of energy while the Kings seemed sluggish. Miami scored 64 points in the first half while shooting 63-percent. The Kings fought their way back into the game in the second half by virtue of a 13-0 run at the end of the third quarter. Ultimately, the Kings ran out of gas and lost the game.

With games coming up with the Clippers, Warriors, Cavaliers and Thunder on this homestand, the game with Miami was one the Kings could not afford to lose. Now, they have to try and get healthy against the always tough Los Angeles Clippers.

LA Clippers

The Clippers have been hit hard by injuries. Point guard Chris Paul has been on the sidelines with hamstring problems and forward Blake Griffin is out due to “minor” knee surgery. The Clippers had to host the Memphis Grizzlies who played the Lakers in Staples Center on Tuesday losing 116-102. The Grizzlies were without JaMychal Green (maxilla fracture suffered in the Lakers game) and Mike Conley who was held out for rest after having missed games with a toe injury.

The Clippers were led by Austin Rivers who scored a game-high 28 points in 44-minutes on the floor. His coach and father Doc Rivers said they just could not take him off the floor. DeAndre Jordan posted a double-double putting up 18 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. JJ Redick punished the Grizzlies from outside scoring 19 points. Jamal Crawford came off the bench to add 22 points. LAC shot 50.7-percent from the field for the game and beat the Grizzlies 115-106.

The victory over Memphis was the second consecutive win for the Clippers who broke a six-game losing streak on Monday night with a win over Phoenix. Now, the Clippers will play in Sacramento looking to make in three wins in a row.

Last Meeting

The Clippers beat the Kings 121-115 in the first meeting of the year back in November at the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento was down by as many as 26 points in that game but made a big run at the Clippers in the fourth quarter to close within two points, 117-115, as the game neared the close. The Kings were not be able to score again and lost by six points.

DeMarcus Cousins scored 38 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and had seven assists for the Kings. Blake Griffin put up 29 points for the Clippers while JJ Redick scored 26 hitting 6-of-8 3-point shots.

Injury Update

NBA: Miami Heat at Sacramento Kings
Ty Lawson played against the Heat despite injury Photo: USA Today

The Kings have listed Rudy Gay as doubtful as the hip flexor continues to plague the talented forward. Doubtful means there is a 25-percent chance of Gay playing Friday night. As much as the Kings need him, do not count on see Rudy Gay in this game.

Guard Ty Lawson scored 15 points against the Heat despite having a sub conjunctival hemorrhage right/blurred vision (or as one talk show host called it “a broken face”). As a precaution Lawson is listed as questionable which means he is 50-50 to play on Friday.

The Clippers have Chris Paul listed as doubtful but Doc Rivers said that the decision will be based on the guard’s condition after a full workout on Thursday. Paul and the team have made no secret that they would like to their star return to action on Friday night in Sacramento.

Blake Griffin (knee surgery) and Brice Johnson (herniated disc, lower back) are out and will not play.

What do the teams need to do to win

Kings

  • Sacramento needs to shoot well from midrange and from beyond the arc. The Kings are capable of shooting well from the floor. They shot better than 50-percent in the loss to Miami on Wednesday. Strong shooting performances from Barnes, Collison, Tolliver, Temple, Afflalo and Lawson – if he is able to go – will be necessary to help take the pressure off DeMarcus Cousins.
  • The Kings will also need a big night on the boards from DeMarcus Cousins. DeAndre Jordan will grabbing rebounds without abandon for the Clippers, the Kings will need Cousins to do the same for them.
  • The Kings defense will also need to concentrate on shutting down the 3-point shooting of the Clippers. JJ Redick will take every opportunity given to him to heave up a 3-pointer. This is a weak point for the Kings. They need to work hard on stopping the 3-point shots on Friday night.

Clippers

  • LAC needs to shoot from beyond the arc until it hurts. This has been the Achilles heal of the Kings all season long. JJ Redick is a shooting guard who can destroy a team from 3-point land. He needs to establish that dominance early and often against the Kings on Friday night.
  • The Clippers will need a strong defensive performance from Luc Mbah a Moute and DeAndre Jordan to contain DeMarcus Cousins if they are to beat the Kings. If you stop Cousins, you stop the Kings. The problem is – it may take more than two players to stop Cousins.
  • Los Angeles could really use the presence of point guard of Chris Paul on Friday night. The Kings are going to play angry after losing to Miami on Wednesday night. Having the incredible skills of the all-star point guard to counteract that anger would really benefit the Clippers.

What do the experts predict?

  • FiveThirtyEight.com says this game will go to the Clippers. They give the Clippers a 54-percent chance of winning the game. FiveThirtyEight.com says to take LAC minus one point.
  • The Desert Dwellers either have no idea how to call this game or do not care about the game because as of 7 a.m. PST Friday no odds or over/under had been posted for this contest.

Complete postgame coverage tonight on sportsradioservice.com. Listen to the Kings podcast every Tuesday with Charlie O.

Kings put up a fight but the Clippers win 121-115

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

LA Clippers v Sacramento Kings
J.J. Redick fires away Photo: Rocky Widner NBAE

The Clippers are now 6-0 on the road but they almost blew this win

The Los Angeles Clippers improved their record to 11-2 on the season with a 121-115 win over the Kings in Sacramento on Friday night. At one point in the first half, Los Angeles had a 26-point lead. They held a 19-point lead after three quarters were in the books.

The Kings outscored the Clippers 30-17 in fourth quarter led by Matt Barnes and his 10 points that came from his perfect 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the 3-point line. DeMarcus Cousins added seven points, Ty Lawson put up five, Garrett Temple four, Anthony Tolliver three and Rudy Gay one point.

Sacramento cut the Clippers lead to two points with 2:04 to go in the game, but that was as close as they would come to retaking the lead. Los Angeles scored the final four points of the game on a dunk by DeAndre Jordan and two free throws from Chris Paul.

The Kings changed the the lineup in the third quarter which changed the game

Dave Joerger went “small” to start the second half moving Cousins to center, keeping Gay at forward and starting three guards – Lawson, Afflalo and Collison. Joerger felt the lineup change had a profound affect on his team’s pick and roll execution. He also felt the defense improved.

The Kings team shooting percentage improved to 52.9-percent (9-for-17) in the third period as they scored 31 points.

The Clippers scored 31 points as well but their shooting percentage fell to 42.9-percent as the Kings tightened up their defense.

Los Angeles still had a 19 point lead – 104 to 85 – at the end of three quarters.

LA Clippers v Sacramento Kings
Ty Lawson Photo: Rocky Widner NBAE

The Clippers started the game on fire

Los Angeles started the game aggressively with Blake Griffin scoring 15 points and J.J. Redick adding 14 of his own. Griffin went to the free throw line eight times and converted seven times. Redick was a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point land. The Clippers shot 70-percent as a team in the first quarter.

The Clippers put up 33 points in the second quarter paced by the 20 points scored by the second unit coming off the bench. Paul Pierce – who has been used sparingly – even made an appearance scoring six points. As a team, they shot 70.6-percent from the floor and 85.7-percent (6-for-7) from 3-point range.

The Kings improved their lot in the second period by scoring 30 points. DeMarcus Cousins scored 15 points in seven minutes on the floor to keep the game relatively close.

The Clippers held a 19 point lead – 73 to 54 – over the Kings at the half.

To no one’s surprise Cousins had another monster game

The Kings superstar scored 38 points in 36 minutes of playing time on Friday night. He also posted another double-double as he pulled down 13 rebounds in the game. The amazing big man also had seven assists and three steals.

LA Clippers v Sacramento Kings
DeMarcus Cousins Photo: Rocky Widner NBAE

Lawson, Collison and Barnes also came up big

Ty Lawson played 36-minutes against the Clippers and scored 18 points, dished out eight assists and hauled in seven rebounds. His point guard counterpart – Darren Collison – played 32-minutes putting up 16 points shooting 7-for-11 (one 3-pointer) from the floor.

Matt Barnes came off the bench and played 30-minutes for the Kings scoring 15 points and recording seven rebounds. He shot 5-for-10 from the field and 4-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Coach Dave Joerger on the Kings performance

“I was proud of our guys. We came out and battled and got after it and we competed. I thought we had a lot of open shots – didn’t knock some down that could’ve really put it over the edge there late in the third quarter and then into the fourth quarter. But we didn’t put out heads down. We competed and I’m really proud of guys tonight.”

The Kings are going to go small

“I’m going to play small,” declared Kings head coach Dave Joerger after the game. “DeMarcus (Cousins) is going to play center. I don’t know who else is going to play with him. It just gives us more zip, more life, more experience. That’s not any detriment to anyone else for what they’ve done. Of course in four or five games, I’ll probably go back.”

It was the usual suspects doing the job for the Clippers on Friday night

Blake Griffin was the Clippers leading scorer with 29 points. He shot 7-for-15 from floor and was an impressive 15-of-16 from the free throw line.

J.J. Redick made rain like usual. 18 of his 26 points came off 3-point baskets. He was 6-for-8 from long range.

DeAndre Jordan posted a double-double scoring 16 points and hauling in 12 rebounds. His free throw shooting did not come into play as the big man did not go to the foul line once in the game.

Chris Paul also had a double-double for the Clippers. The star point guard put up 11 points and handed out 12 assists.

Austin Rivers was the key man off the bench for LAC adding 12 points and four assists.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers on how the Kings got back into the game

“Us! I thought that was more us. I give them credit. Coach (Joerger) went small and they got more patient in the game. They scored every time down it felt like and then we stopped offensively. We (started) going in North Carolina four corner stall, I felt like. You’re always happy to win the game, but we want to be better that … First half was beautiful basketball. It was a clinic; you couldn’t have played any better. Defensively is where it started and then in the second half we decided we were going to trade baskets with them.”

LA Clippers v Sacramento Kings
DeAndre Jordan dunks the ball Photo: Rocky Widner NBAE

What’s coming up

The Clippers flew back to Los Angeles where they will host the Chicago Bulls (8-4) on Saturday night at the Staples Center.

The Kings will host the Toronto Raptors (8-4) on Sunday night at 6:00 PM at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.