There hasn’t really been any suspense between the Clippers and Sacramento. The Kings took advantage of the George-Leonard pair’s last-minute package to quickly take control of the match, and never let go!
Domantas Sabonis led the way by scoring 15 points and delivering 5 assists to increase the gap. The entry of Malik Monk and his two 3-point missiles also contributed, the Clippers finding themselves at -14 after 12 minutes (24-38).
The Angelinos were not at the end of their troubles since the Davis-Okpala-Metu trio hit the nail on the head from the start of the second act with a devastating 11-0 (24-45). The small thinnings brought by John Wall or Marcus Morris didn’t really have an impact on the score. And after starting the period with an incredible 1/19 in shooting, the locals found themselves relegated to -22 at the break (38-60).
Domantas Sabonis attacked the third quarter with the same determination, with two of his three baskets scored with the fault as a bonus. With the help of Harrison Barnes, Sacramento has therefore widened the gap, to quietly flirt with the 30-point gap (45-74). What to sail serenely until the end of the match after a good “garbage time” of 12 last minutes started by a 9-0, and to leave the Crypto.com Arena with a clear and flawless victory, 123 to 96.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Kings’ perfect start. Sacramento delivered a demonstration from the first moments to make it easier and quickly kill the suspense. Domantas Sabonis set the tone by scoring 15 points at 5/5. The “second unit” took over from the start of the fourth quarter, increasing the gap to +28 after notably starting the period with an 11-0! From the break, the meeting turned into an impossible mission for the Clippers. And she was until the end.
– False start for the George-Leonard tandem. The return of the two stars of the team was expected, but it was finally postponed to a later date after a final test. “They felt good. We hope to have them back very soon. They will be with us for our road-trip, so it’s positive”, said Tyronn Lue before the meeting. Difficult to say if the presence of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in restriction of minutes would have changed anything against these Kings in full possession of their means. The next games in Charlotte or Orlando may allow them to come back more smoothly…
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Domantas Sabonis. The Lithuanian pivot put his team on his shoulders from the start of the game thanks to his efficiency, from far and near the circle, and his vision of the game. He got the better of Ivica Zubac almost every time and put the cover back from the start of the third quarter. Two leading starts that made it easier for the Kings to get an “easy” win.
✅ The Huerter-Monk duo. Without necessarily shining to bursting the screen, the two snipers did their job and did it well, helping to salt the bill in support of the Fox-Sabonis pair. Their contribution and that of the other shooters will be essential to the success of Sacramento this season…
⛔️ Reggie Jackson. There are nights like this when nothing goes your way. This is a bit of a summary of the nightmare evening experienced by Reggie Jackson, who chained negative actions at a frantic pace, between lost balls (5) and missed shots (1/12). The leader also distinguished himself by finishing the game with… 0 assists. Only positive point, it will be hard to do worse in the future!
⛔️ Robert Covington. Symbol of the Clippers’ clumsiness behind the arc in this match (9/33), the winger finished with a sad 0/6 from 3-pointers, a record barely saved by his four assists and two blocks.
THE FOLLOWING
LA Clippers (13-11): direction Charlotte to face the Hornets this Monday (01:00).
Sacramento (12-9): The Kings continue tonight at home against Chicago (00:00).
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
