It wasn’t a runaway victory, but the Clippers beat down the Kings, 115-96, and won their fifth straight behind sterling performances from Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Ivica Zubac. Read on for a full recap.
Game Recap
Two stars, one quarter, and a whole lotta talent. When things are going well, that might be all you need. That and the Sacramento Kings.
The Clippers didn’t play anything near a complete game, but even a mixed production with several superlatives was enough to keep the Kings comfortably at arms’ length for a 115-96 win.
You want superlatives?
The broadcast named Kawhi Leonard its player of the game and you won’t find a counterargument here. The two-way terminator dominated in his usual coolly efficient way. He brutalized all manner of King in the paint, scoring 32 points (13-22 FG) and kicking it outside for five assists. His six steals ignited a fresh-legged fastbreak attack that swamped the Kings for a 22-9 advantage (14-3 in the first half). He once sprinted away from Harrison Barnes, who’s no plodding old man. Kawhi’s only blemish was a wayward handle that resulted in three turnovers that felt like twice as many. No matter — he was magnificent.
All of that being said, the player of the first three quarters may have been Paul George. The more-embattled star answered questions about his lack of dunks with, well, DUNKS. He followed an alley-oop slam off a baseline cut with a two-handed smash off a silky slither. He also showed off his intensifying arsenal of playmaking tricks, tying a career-high with 12 assists. He scored a tidy 19. Like Leonard, you can take umbrage with his six turnovers, three of which came in the sloppy early minutes of the fourth quarter, but his damage had already been wrought.
Despite stirring contributions from Nic Batum (11 points, three steals, 3-5 3PT) and Luke Kennard (nine points, seven in the first half), the Clippers’ third star was thankfully, finally, Ivica Zubac. The big man returned from his metaphorical absence with 26 minutes of something better resembling his more productive self. He was stout on defense, with a lone recorded block belying the importance of his presence around the basket. On offense, he rediscovered the ability to catch the ball. Put together, it was enough for the big man’s first double-double (11/12) of the season. With Serge Ibaka noticeably struggling after missing Sunday’s game with a non-COVID illness, Zubac picked the right time for maybe his best night of the campaign.
With star performances to which they could hitch their wagon, the Clippers recovered from a milquetoast first quarter to something more fun in the second, picking up their shooting (if not their defense) to take a five-point lead at the half.
That lead, of course, to the third quarter, their favorite quarter, the quarter which has become serious business time for the Clippers. They doubled their lead in two-and-a-half minutes and expanded it to 20 by the end of the frame, shrugging off a brief Kings run in the middle.
The Clippers’ ball movement, which ranged between enthusiastic and orgasmic for most of the night, bedeviled a Kings team that struggles to defend at a professional level. As alluded to above, fourth-quarter complacence forced the starters into unexpected minutes, but the third-quarter competence had built a lead too large to fritter away.
For Sacramento, De’Aaron Fox flashed. And I mean flashed, like a long-armed lightning bolt from arc to rim. Fox scored 25 points and earned eight free throw attempts — the only King to earn more than two — and looked literally unguardable for stretches. Somebody get this young man some help.
Buddy Hield pitched in with 13 points, but eight came in the first quarter and he was largely anonymous after. Tyrese Haliburton and Glenn Robinson III each added three treys and combined for 25 points, but on an otherwise effective shooting night (13-28 3PT), the Kings couldn’t muster nearly enough offense to dilute their league-worst offense. At least they held an opponent to fewer than 120 points for the first time in almost three weeks.
The Clippers’ soft schedule continues, with consecutive home contests against the Oklahoma City Thunder. While it’s preferable to see the Clippers dominate from wire to wire, they continue to show that they can put away lesser opponents with considerably less.
Notes
- Per Clippers PR, the team set a franchise record by making at least 15 three-pointers in its fifth straight contest. They finished 16-35 (45.7%).
- Nemanja Bjelica was not listed on the pregame injury report but missed the contest for personal reasons.
- Lou Williams was listed as questionable pregame but logged 15 minutes, scoring six.
- Nic Batum’s All-Star campaign strengthened when De’Aaron Fox called a foul on himself to prevent Batum from uncorking a three from his signature left corner. It worked!
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