Why the Kings lacked energy in loss to Clippers and who is headed to All-Star Weekend
The Kings stormed back from another big deficit Sunday but came up short. Here are three takeaways from their 122-108 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center:
Road weary
The question going into the game was whether the Kings could summon the energy to compete with the Clippers on the 12th and final day of a season-long, six-game trip that took them across the country, into Canada and back.
The answer, at least early in the game, was a resounding no.
The Kings (25-25) missed 17 of their first 25 shots, fell behind by 16 in the first quarter and trailed by 25 midway through the second. The Clippers (28-22) shot 54.2 percent and made 6 of 7 from 3-point range in the opening period.
The Kings picked up the pace, played with more intensity and got more defensive stops as the game wore on, but they couldn’t get the big basket they needed after cutting the deficit to five in the fourth quarter.
Point guard De’Aaron Fox scored a team-high 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Bogdan Bogdanovic came off the bench to score 19 points but was just 5 of 13 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3-point range.
Iman Shumpert and Buddy Hield scored 16 points apiece but combined to make 11 of 30 field-goal attempts and 5 of 16 from beyond the arc.
Rookie big man Marvin Bagley III came off the bench to provide a spark at both ends of the floor. He finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots.
The Kings went 2-4 on the trip. They headed back to Sacramento immediately after the game for a season-long six-game home stand, which begins Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks.
Matching up with Montrezl
Montrezl Harrell has been a matchup nightmare for Sacramento this season. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound power forward has had his way with the Kings all three times they’ve met.
Harrell gave the Kings an ominous warning after making a defensive stop on Bagley midway through the first quarter.
“All day,” Harrell said. “All day.”
He was right.
Harrell scored 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting with seven rebounds. He muscled inside, threw down an assortment of power dunks and delivered several big baskets down the stretch after the Kings stormed back to get within five in the fourth quarter.
Harrell had 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting with nine rebounds and five blocked shots in a 127-118 victory over Sacramento on Dec. 26. He made 8 of 10 field-goal attempts to finish with 24 points and six rebounds in a 133-121 victory over the Kings on Nov. 29 at Golden 1 Center.
“He’s a good player,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said. “He’s very active and he had another good night tonight.”
All-Star Weekend
Fox confirmed he will compete in the Skills Challenge and Hield will compete in the Three-Point Contest as part on All-Star Saturday Night on Feb. 16 in Charlotte, N.C.
Fox, Bogdanovic and Bagley are anticipating invitations to the Rising Stars game for the NBA’s top first- and second-year players, but the league has yet to make those notifications.
Upcoming schedule for the Kings
▪ Jan. 30 vs. Atlanta Hawks — The Kings will tip off their season-long six-game home stand against a team they beat by 31 in their most lopsided win of the season Nov. 1 in Atlanta. De’Aaron Fox recorded his first NBA triple-double in the 146-115 victory.
▪ Feb. 2 vs. Philadelphia 76ers — The Kings will get their first look at the 76ers, who are among the leading contenders in the Eastern Conference with a star-studded lineup featuring Ben Simmons, J.J. Redick, Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid. The teams will meet again March 15 in Philadelphia.
▪ Feb. 4 vs. San Antonio Spurs — The Kings handed the Spurs a 104-99 loss when they met Nov. 12 in Sacramento, but San Antonio looks like a much better team now. The Spurs had won nine of 14 going into Sunday’s game against the Washington Wizards.