De’Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings reacts after they beat the LA Clippers at Golden 1 Center on March 03, 2023 in Sacramento, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
De’Aaron Fox recorded 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and the Sacramento Kings won their fifth straight game by prevailing 128-127 over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
Domantas Sabonis added 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and made two free throws with seven seconds remaining to put the Kings ahead. Paul George of the Clippers missed a 3-pointer as time expired in a contest in which 96 fewer points were scored than in last Friday’s matchup between the two teams.
Harrison Barnes had 20 points and seven rebounds, Kevin Huerter scored 18 points and Keegan Murray scored 14 for Sacramento, which has won eight of its past 10 games.
8 straight 30-point games for Swipa.
5 straight wins for @SacramentoKings.@swipathefox is on the longest 30+ point streak in franchise history since Tiny Archibald's 9 straight in 1975! pic.twitter.com/6UQ4IygvZd— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2023
George scored 28 points and Russell Westbrook had 27 points and 10 assists as the Clippers lost their fifth consecutive game. Eric Gordon scored 21 points, Robert Covington added 15 and Mason Plumlee had 13.
The teams combined for 351 points one week ago — second most in NBA history — as the Kings prevailed 176-175 in double-overtime.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard sat out on the second end of a back-to-back to rest his surgically repaired knee. Fellow starters Marcus Morris Sr. (elbow contusion) and Ivica Zubac (calf soreness) and reserve Norman Powell (dislocated shoulder) also sat out.
George buried a 3-pointer from the left corner to give the Clippers a 125-124 lead with 51.6 seconds left. Sabonis scored on a layup to put the Kings back ahead with 38.4 seconds to go.
George drove for a layup to give Los Angeles a 127-126 edge with 33.6 seconds remaining. Two possessions later, Fox missed a free-throw line jumper with about eight seconds left and Sabonis was fouled by Covington while trying to grab the rebound and made both free throws.
Sacramento shot 52.9 percent from the field, including 10 of 33 from 3-point range. Trey Lyles added 10 points for the Kings.
Nicolas Batum added 11 points for the Clippers, who made 54 percent of their shots and were 14 of 41 from behind the arc.
Fox scored eight points in a 12-2 burst early in the fourth quarter as the Kings took a 113-100 lead with 8:19 remaining.
The Clippers later made a charge and received two 3-pointers from George and one from Batum during the 12-2 run that allowed them to take the one-point lead in the final minute.
Huerter scored 14 first-half points to help the Kings lead 68-63 at the break. Westbrook had 15 in the half for the Clippers.
Sacramento held a 101-96 lead entering the final stanza.