For the second time in three games, the Sacramento Kings were headed toward a massive victory, as they built a 37-point fourth-quarter lead against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Kings ended up winning their third straight game, and gaining their fourth victory in the last five contests, but by a closer-than-it-needed-to-be score of 115-102.
The Kings now have a winning record of 7-6 after 13 games.
They had remarkable offensive balance in this one, as eight players scored between nine and 17 points. Seven finished in double-figures, led by Domantas Sabonis’ 17 points. Vlade Divac scored a season-high 13 points. DeMarcus Cousins had his third straight double-double and eighth overall with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The Clippers’ Blake Griffin exploded for 36 points. Corey Maggette had 19, and Danny Manning provided 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The Clippers actually got off to a decent start, taking an 11-7 lead early after Griffin and Jamal Crawford scored back-to-back baskets. The Kings ended up taking the lead for good with a 6-0 run that made it 16-13. It was 29-22 at the end of the first period.
An 11-2 run over the end of the first quarter and the start of the second quarter put Sacramento ahead 37-24. When Nate Archibald put the Kings ahead 44-34 with six minutes left, the Clippers would never get the deficit back to single-digits for the rest of the game. The Kings went up 57-42 at halftime.
The Kings poured it on during a 35-point third quarter. A 15-0 run saw Divac score the final six points, making it 31-point lead at 86-55 with three minutes to go. It was 92-63 after three quarters.
The lead continued to grow early for the first half of the fourth quarter. A 7-0 run featured a Divac basket, a Mike Bibby three-pointer and a Sam Lacey score, putting the Kings ahead by 37 at 111-74 with seven minutes to play. From there, the Clippers finally picked it up against the end of the Kings’ bench, as they scored the next 14 points and ended the game on a 28-4 run to cut the final deficit to 13 points.
Next up: the Los Angeles Lakers.
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 