The Sacramento Kings played well and won the Sunday night game, defeating the LA Clippers 123-107. This was the second straight loss for the Clippers – something that hasn’t happened since the end of December.
De’Aaron Fox was the leader of the Sacramento Kings charge and scored 33 points. Domantas Sabonis got his 20th triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
Clippers Struggle Without Paul George: Sacramento Kings Secure Victory with Strong Performance
The Clippers had a challenge when Paul George was out with a sore left knee which allowed Norman Powell to play in the starting lineup and lead with 21 points. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden also gave a 20-point career mark for the Clippers. But that was not enough to stop the Kings from playing well.
The sum of James Harden’s perfect 10-for-10 free throw record and eight assists. Still, it didn’t help beat the Clippers on the strength of Frank Mason III’s 27 points, freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis‘ 16 points, and a combination of sharpshooter Buddy Hield and rookie guard Quentin Grimes‘ 25 points. This loss was especially crucial for the Clippers because it was their second consecutive defeat since late December.
Leonard’s words, “It is like we are competing but a step behind. I hope we get the rhythm,” best captured the team’s sentiments. The Clippers who are currently third acknowledged the need to bounce back as they are a bit flat but optimistic about the chances of turning things around.
Harrison Barnes was a key player for the Kings as he scored 22 points. The Sacramento Kings won the last three games before the break. Also, they used the home-court advantage to beat the Clippers who were also playing after the break.
Sabonis Shines with Historic Triple-Double as Sacramento Kings Outclass Clippers in Defensive Showdown
Sabonis‘ triple-double that marked a historic achievement is among the very few feats to achieve 20 or more triple-doubles in one season. Fox agreed with Sabonis commenting, “I think people tease him up because he does it very often when he scores a close to triple-double during an average game.
Throughout the game, the Clippers tried so hard to push back. But they were only able to cut the margin to five in the first minutes of the last quarter. Nevertheless, their adversaries’ resilience failed to prevail as time and again the Sacramento Kings advantage grew bigger. With that three-point play, Terance Mann almost put the Clippers within five points, but the Sacramento Kings went back to dominate.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said the challenge of playing from behind against a tough opponent was that one error or the wrong play could mean that team gets even further up on you. You do not want that, especially playing a good team
The Sacramento Kings defensive effort was seen and Fox pointed out their commitment when he said, “We did not allow any team to score 30 points in a single quarter. If you are playing that kind of defense you give yourself a chance to win every night.”
Sacramento Kings and Clippers Upcoming Games
The Sacramento Kings will hold the Miami Heat on Monday. And a back-to-back, whereas the Clippers will look forward to win as they will host the Lakers on Wednesday. The two teams have chances to either extend their winning streak or turn things around in the cut-throat Western Conference when the upcoming games are at hand.
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