Highs and Lows: Sacramento Kings Fall To Los Angeles Clippers

Jan 6, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins (15) dribbles the ball against Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 6, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins (15) dribbles the ball against Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Sacramento Kings lost tonight by a score of 106-98 to their division foe the Los Angeles Clippers. Listed down below are the highs and lows that happened in tonight’s game pertaining to the Kings.

HIGHS

1-2 Punch: With Rudy Gay returning to the Kings tonight from injury, the 1-2 punch for Sacramento was in full session. For the night, the duo of DeMarcus Cousins and Gay recorded 43 points, 8 assists, and 18 rebounds while shooting 44.4% from the floor. It’s usually is a guarantee that Cousins dominates for the Kings, but Gay’s performance tonight definitely sparked the offense which kept the Kings alive throughout the game.

Starting Guards: The starting guards for Sacramento definitely lived up to their expectations tonight. With an unconventional duo of Darren Collison and Ty Lawson, they were able to combine for 37 points, 8 assists, and 9 rebounds for the night. The pair also was able to make 52% of their total shot attempts.

Protecting the Ball: The Kings were able to protect the ball tonight on offense, which is usually a weakness for this team. Averaging 13.4 turnovers a contest, the Kings only turned the ball over six times tonight. With this result, the Kings almost recorded an assist/turnover ratio of 4 to 1 which is efficient.

LOWS

Perimeter Shooting: Perimeter shots need to be made at a solid rate for the Kings to win more games, but, unfortunately, their stroke was off tonight. As a collective whole, the Kings finished the game recording a success rate of 30% tonight from the perimeter.

Perimeter Defense: A notorious trend for the Kings this season. Tonight, the purple and white allowed the Clippers to shoot 41.9% from the perimeter. Not only do the Kings struggle to make three-pointers, but they struggle to stop their opponents in making perimeter shots as well. A recipe for a lot of losses.

Bench Support: The bench is usually a catalyst towards the Kings success, but tonight they didn’t have the best outing. For the game, the bench recorded 14 points, 17 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. All members that came off the bench for Sacramento also recorded a negative number in the +/- category.