Sacramento Kings Come Up Short In Thriller Against Clippers
By Rafe Wong
The Sacramento Kings lost to the Los Angeles Clippers tonight in a thriller by a score of 121-115. Listed down below are the takeaways from the contest.
The Sacramento Kings achieved in entertaining their fans tonight with exciting basketball but were unable to leave the game with the win as they were defeated by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Due to tonight’s defeat, the Kings now stand at a season record of 13-28 which has them ranked as the worst team in the Western Conference.
Game Summary
Little went right for the Kings to begin the game. The Clippers’ offense was able to produce points adequately while the black and purple were ineffective in scoring the ball. The Kings finished the period with just one assist while turning the ball over five times.
Despite a terrible quarter by Sacramento, however, they only found themselves trailing 29-21 after one.
The Kings struggled to start the second but found their rhythm as the quarter went on. The play by Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic definitely gave the Kings a scoring spark which the team definitely needed.
Both teams were feeling it offensively, but in the end, the Clippers still won the period by a score of 43-39. The Clippers led 72-60 going into halftime.
The third quarter was when Sacramento made their move. Players like George Hill and Willie Cauley-Stein came alive which sparked a Kings’ rally. There was a moment where the Kings were trailing by only two points in the quarter, but the Clippers were able to construct a rally of their own which increased their lead back to 11 points at the end of the third.
In the fourth quarter, the Kings continued to fight. As a result, Sacramento made crunch time interesting as they were able to take a one-point lead with two minutes remaining. But due to the heroics of Lou Williams, the Clippers were able to take back the lead and survive the game with a victory.
Players of the Game
Top players for the Clippers tonight were Blake Griffin who recorded 18 points and 12 rebounds, Montrezl Harrell who scored 25 points, and Lou Williams who recorded 30 points and six assists.
Players who stood out for the Kings were Kosta Koufos who recorded 14 points and 14 rebounds, George Hill who scored 21 points, and Bogdan Bogdanovic who finished with 22 points and four rebounds.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Kings were able to rebound from their horrific start and make the game competitive in the end. Although the black and purple fell short of the win, it is encouraging to see the young talent from the team thrive and give their fans optimism of what could potentially be a fun and competitive squad to watch in the future.
Next time the Kings will take the hardwood will be Saturday when they will play the Los Angeles Clippers again. This time down south in the Staples Center.