NBA: Kings rout short-handed Clippers
FILE–Domantas Sabonis #10 of the Sacramento Kings. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images/AFP
Domantas Sabonis led seven scorers in double figures with 24 points as the Sacramento Kings led nearly wire-to-wire in a 123-96 blowout of the host Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
The Kings attacked the short-handed Clippers on the interior, outscoring Los Angeles in the paint, 62-44. Sabonis keyed Sacramento’s offensive approach with 10-of-11 shooting from the floor and dished a game-high six assists.
All five Sacramento starters scored in double figures. Keegan Murray erupted in the fourth quarter to effectively snuff any hope of a Los Angeles comeback, connecting on five field goals — including three 3-pointers — in the period.
Murray finished with 23 points and led the Kings with seven rebounds. De’Aaron Fox added 14 points, Kevin Huerter finished with 12 and Harrison Barnes shot 4 of 6 from the floor for 10 points.
Malik Monk came off the bench for 13 points, and Chimezie Metu — who played his college basketball just a few miles south of the Clippers’ Crypto.com Arena at USC — added 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting from the floor.
Domantas Sabonis is on 🔥 in LA!
17 PTS
5 AST
7/7 FGM📲 https://t.co/1pomQZN8Pi pic.twitter.com/I0jhNNRHCU
— NBA (@NBA) December 3, 2022
The Clippers — playing once again without All-Stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, 3-point specialist Luke Kennard and spark-plug Norman Powell — were out-of-sorts offensively throughout the contest.
Los Angeles shot just 33 of 93 from the floor and committed 17 turnovers. No Clipper scored more than 18 points, which came from Brandon Boston Jr. with his season high off the bench.
Boston shot 4 of 6 from 3-point range, but the rest of the Clippers went just 5 of 27 from deep.
Ivica Zubac finished with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, and Terance Mann added another 13 points. John Wall rounded out the double-figure scoring for Los Angeles with 12 points off the bench.
Jason Preston — a G League call-up helping the Clippers patch the various holes injuries have created in the lineup — scored a career-high nine points. He had five total points in his NBA career prior to Saturday.
