Kings vs. Clippers gameday: DeMar DeRozan, Vivek Ranadivé troll Drake; 3 things to watch
Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé seemingly threw his support behind DeMar DeRozan after he was greeted rather rudely in his return to Toronto during the team’s recent four-game road trip.
Canadian rapper Drake insulted DeRozan and put on a tough-guy routine while sitting courtside when the Kings visited the Toronto Raptors on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena. The international incident occurred amid the fallout from a bitter rap battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar after DeRozan appeared in Lamar’s video for “Not Like Us,” a diss track that accuses Drake of sexual misconduct and cultural exploitation.
When the Kings came home to face the Raptors on Wednesday in Sacramento, Ranadive sat in his customary courtside seat sporting a “Not Like Us” T-shirt. DeRozan took control in the fourth quarter to help the Kings open a brief two-game homestand with a 122-107 victory over the Raptors. The Kings will try to win their third in a row when they face the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday at Golden 1 Center.
DeRozan took the high road in a recent interview with The Sacramento Bee when he discussed his relationships Lamar, a fellow Compton native, and Drake, who hails from Toronto. Drake escalated the situation Saturday when DeRozan went back to Toronto to face the Raptors, who drafted him out of USC in 2009, on the night the team retired Vince Carter’s jersey.
Drake told TSN if the Raptors ever retire DeRozan’s jersey, he will “go up there and pull it down myself.” Internet creator DJ Akademiks tweeted that Drake and top security man Chubbs were “mean mugging DeMar DeRozan the whole game,” but many social media users noted they seemed to look away every time DeRozan looked their direction.
DeRozan was nicknamed “Deebo” as a sixth-grader in Compton when he beat up a bigger eighth-grader after an altercation during a basketball game. “Deebo” was a fictional character who played a neighborhood bully in the movie “Friday.”
Following Saturday’s game, DeRozan took to social media with a thinly veiled response to Drake’s antics. DeRozan posted a “Friday” clip to his Instagram story in which Chris Tucker’s character, “Smokey,” says: “Man, I got mind control over Deebo. He be like shut the f*** up. I be quiet, but when he leave, I be talking again.”
Now that the Kings have put that drama behind them, here are three things to watch in Friday’s game.
Scouting the Clippers
The Clippers are coming off back-to-back wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers after going 2-4 to start the season. Kawhi Leonard has yet to suit up while recovering from a right knee injury.
The Clippers are 22nd in the NBA in offensive rating (110.8) and 24th in scoring (109.1 ppg). They rank No. 12 in field-goal percentage (.471) and 3-point percentage (.366), but they are 29th in turnovers (17.1).
Defensively, the Clippers are fourth in the NBA in opponent points per game (107.8), fifth in defensive rating (108.8) and 12th in opponent field-goal percentage (.460) despite ranking 22nd in opponent 3-point percentage (.372).
Norman Powell leads the team in averaging 25.0 points while shooting 48.5% from 3-point range on 8.5 attempts per game. James Harden is averaging 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks. Ivica Zubac is putting up 17.1 points and 12.5 rebounds.
Scouting the Kings
The Kings are starting to look formidable after winning five of their last six games. They are No. 5 in the NBA in offensive rating (117.4) and No. 11 in defensive rating (111.5) with the league’s sixth-best net rating (+6.0).
The Kings are No. 1 in free-throw percentage (.841), No. 5 in scoring (118.8 ppg) and No. 5 in field-goal percentage (.484), but they could be even better offensively if they improve from 27th in 3-point percentage (.325). They are No. 11 in opponent field-goal percentage (.459), No. 15 in opponent points per game (113.1) and No. 17 in opponent 3-point percentage (.363).
Sacramento’s Big 3
The Kings are led by DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. DeRozan leads the team in scoring, averaging 25.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting 52.9% from the field, 38.1% from 3-point range and 87.5% at the free-throw line. He has scored 20 or more points in his first eight games for the Kings, surpassing Chris Webber (7) for the longest such streak in franchise history. 0024
Fox is averaging 23.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.0 steals. Sabonis averages 20.3 points, 13.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists. He is second in the NBA in rebounding and 11th in assists.
Clippers at Kings
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Golden 1 Center
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
Odds: Kings -5.5
Over/under: 225.5
Injury report
Clippers: OUT — Mo Bamba (knee); Cam Christie (G League); Trentyn Flowers (G League); Kawhi Leonard (knee); P.J. Tucker (not with team).
Kings: OUT — Devin Carter (shoulder); Orlando Robinson (knee).
Sacramento Kings schedule
Nov. 8 vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Nov. 10 at Phoenix Suns
Nov. 11 at San Antonio Spurs
Nov. 13 vs. Phoenix Suns
Nov. 15 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
This story was originally published November 8, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
