Kent Bazemore leads surging Kings to another victory over Los Angeles Clippers
.jpg "Sacramento Kings’ Kent Bazemore (26) reacts after scoring against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)")
The Kings waited nearly two years to beat to beat the Los Angeles Clippers. Now they’ve done it twice in three weeks.
Kent Bazemore came off the bench to post 23 points, six rebounds and four steals, leading the Kings to a 112-103 victory over the Clippers in a Saturday matinee at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 points for the Kings (23-33), who have won eight of their last 12 games. De’Aaron Fox finished with 19 points and eight assists. Harry Giles III recorded his first career double-double, posting 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Kawhi Leonard had 31 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Clippers (37-19). Lou Williams came off the bench to score 24 points.
The Kings have beaten the Memphis Grizzlies and Clippers this week after winning six of 10 before the All-Star break. They now trail the Grizzlies by five games for eighth in the Western Conference.
“It’s great, especially being in this situation we are right now, trying to get that eighth seed,” Bazemore said. “We’re playing like a desperate team and it says a lot about this group, starting off with a big win against Memphis at home and carrying that over to (Saturday).”
The Kings made a franchise-record 21 3-point goals in a 124-103 victory over the Clippers on Jan. 30 in Los Angeles. The Kings snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Clippers with the win, beating them for the first time since March 26, 2017.
The Kings didn’t exactly follow the same formula this time. They outscored the Clippers 8-0 in the opening minutes, but both teams started slowly, combining to make just 4 of 23 from the field over the first five minutes.
The Clippers missed 15 of their first 17 shots and went 4 of 24 in the first quarter. The Kings made 9 of 27 and went 0 of 7 from 3-point range. Sacramento led 25-13 at the end of the opening period and went up by 14 early in the second quarter, but Los Angeles cut the deficit to six going into the halftime break.
The Clippers got within three early in the third quarter. The Kings staged a 14-4 run to reestablish a double-digit lead, but the Clippers kept battling back. They cut Sacramento’s lead to five going into the fourth quarter, got within one a three-point play by Lou Williams and took a 95-94 lead on a basket by Montrezl Harrell.
The Kings and Clippers exchanged leads a number of times over the final eight minutes. The Kings regained the lead for good when Giles scored a put-back basket with 4:14 to go and Bogdanovic hit a big 3-pointer moments later.
Clippers missing two starters
The Kings caught the Clippers without two starters in their first game after the All-Star break. Six-time All-Star Paul George (hamstring) and two-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection Patrick Beverley (groin) both missed the game due to injuries.
George has averaged 21.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 34 games this season after joining the Clippers last summer. Beverley has started 40 games at point guard, averaging 8.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals.
Roster depth
The Clippers, of course, have one of the deepest teams in the league. They added even more depth in recent weeks, acquiring forward Marcus Morris from the New York Knicks before the trade deadline and then signing Reggie Jackson after he agreed to a buyout with the Detroit Pistons earlier this week.
With George and Beverley out due to injuries, Jackson and Morris started in their Clippers debuts Saturday. Jackson, who missed time with a back injury earlier this season, averaged 14.9 points and 5.1 assists while shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point range in 14 games for the Pistons. Morris averaged 19.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 43 games for the Knicks.
Len makes Kings debut
Center Alex Len made his Kings debut after recovering from a strained right hip flexor. The Kings acquired Len along with Jabari Parker in the trade that sent Dewayne Dedmon back to the Atlanta Hawks.
Len had some nice moments. He was active on the boards, set good screens, blocked a shot and had a big put-back dunk in the third quarter. He also had to be restrained during a fourth-quarter confrontation with Harrell, a noted Kings killer, an exchange that resulted in double technical fouls.
Len finished with three points and eight rebounds.
Bazemore provides spark
Bazemore provided a huge spark for the Kings in the first quarter. Bazemore came off the bench to post 10 points and four rebounds in just six minutes, helping Sacramento build an early lead. Bazemore made 3 of 4 field-goal attempts and all four of his free-throw attempts in the first period.
Injury report
Kings: OUT — Richaun Holmes (shoulder); Marvin Bagley III (foot).
Clippers: OUT — Paul George (hamstring); Patrick Beverley (groin).
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 25 at Golden State, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 27 at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m.
Feb. 28 at Memphis, 5 p.m.
March 1 vs. Detroit, 3 p.m.
March 3 vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published February 22, 2020 at 3:04 PM.
