Kings set franchise record for 3-pointers in 124-103 win over Los Angeles Clippers
Emotions were running high in the first NBA game played inside Staples Center since the death of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. So were the Kings’ shooting percentages.
De’Aaron Fox scored a career-high 34 points and the Kings set a franchise record with 21 3-pointers in a 124-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Sacramento eclipsed its previous record of 20 3-point goals, which had been done three times over the past two seasons. The Kings also snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Clippers, beating them for the first time since March 26, 2017.
Fox made 14 of 24 field-goal attempts and 3 of 4 from 3-point range. He also had eight assists, four steals and two blocked shots.
“Offensively and defensively, I thought he was really locked in,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “I think for young players, one of the challenges that you have to master in this league is the consistency and the ability to be great every night, and I thought tonight, for whatever reason, when that game started, he was locked and loaded on both ends.”
Buddy Hield scored 19 points for the Kings (18-30), who won on the second night of a back-to-back after losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday in Sacramento. Cory Joseph had 16 points and seven assists. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 15 points and Dewayne Dedmon recorded a double-double, posting 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Lou Williams scored 22 points to lead the Clippers (33-15). Montrezl Harrell finished with 21 points, but he was held to three in the second half.
The Kings shot 50 percent from the field and made 21 of 41 (.512) from 3-point range. The Clippers shot 38 percent and made 13 of 31 (.419) from beyond the arc.
The Kings shot just 40.9 percent in the opening period and trailed 33-28 going into the second quarter. That’s when they get hot.
Kent Bazemore started the barrage with a 3-pointer to tie the game. Hield made the next two to give the Kings a 39-35 lead. By the time it was over, the Kings had outscored the Clippers 36-14 in the second period, shooting 50 percent from the field and 60 percent from beyond the arc while holding Los Angeles to 35.8-percent shooting.
Sacramento led by as many as 20 in the first half and carried a 64-47 advantage into the break. The Kings opened up a 23-point lead in the fourth quarter following back-to-back 3s by Hield and a thunderous dunk by Fox.
Kobe tribute
The Clippers played a special video tribute and observed a 24-second moment of silence before the game to honor Bryant’s memory. The scene outside was even more emotional as thousands gathered in the LA Live entertainment complex across the street from Staples Center, where mourners have left cards, candles, flowers, Lakers memorabilia and other items at the site of a massive memorial.
Hot shots
The Kings set a team record with 15 3-pointers in the first half, surpassing the previous record of 14, which was set in the first half of a 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on the final day of the 2018-19 season.
The Kings made 15 of 25 from long distance in the first half against the Clippers. They went 6 of 9 in the first quarter and 9 of 16 in the second quarter. Joseph led the onslaught with four 3-pointers. Bogdanovic and Hield had three. Fox and Kent Bazemore both had two.
Kings injury updates
The Kings announced before the game forward Marvin Bagley III (foot) will be out through the All-Star break but center Richaun Holmes (shoulder) could return next week. Neither player traveled to Los Angeles with the team. Holmes is ill but is expected to resume injury treatment in the coming days. Bagley will be reevaluated in three weeks.
Kawhi out for Clippers
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard was listed in the starting lineup shortly before tipoff, but the four-time All-Star was a late scratch due to lower back tightness.
Leonard, recently named a starter for the upcoming All-Star Game in Chicago, is averaging career highs of 27.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists this season. He’s also averaging 2.0 steals. He had 31 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in the Clippers’ previous game, a 112-97 victory over the Orlando Magic.
“His back just locked up,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “I think he was out shooting before the game. I think he took a shot and his back locked. He was in stretching, trying to do everything he could to get on the floor, and then he just couldn’t.”
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 1 vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 7 p.m.
Feb. 3 vs. Minnesota, 5 p.m.
Feb. 7 vs. Miami, 7 p.m.
Feb. 8 vs. San Antonio, 7 p.m.
Feb. 10 at Milwaukee, 5 p.m.
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 9:59 PM.
