There is no figuring out this Sacramento Kings team. After losing on their home floor to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, the Kings have rattled off two straight on the road against playoff-caliber competition.
Thursday night in Utah, they dispatched the Jazz with a Rudy Gay jumper in the final second. Saturday night in Los Angeles, they outlasted the Clippers, coming away with the 110-103 win, snapping LA's 10-game win streak.
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The bench unit of Darren Collison and Omri Casspi came to play Saturday night for George Karl. Collison was a difference maker in the first half, scoring 13 of his 17 points before the break. On the defensive end, Collison chose to pick up the Clippers guards before half court, which slowed Los Angeles’ attack.
In the second half, Omri Casspi lit the Clippers up from downtown. The Israeli-born wing scored 17 points while knocking down 5-of-8 from distance.
When DeMarcus Cousins wasn’t in foul trouble, he dominated the shorthanded Clippers. The Kings fed the big fella in the post and he inturn kicked it back out for open looks. Cousins finished the night with 19 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and a pair of blocks in 34 minutes.
After hitting the big game-winner Thursday night in Utah, Rudy Gay was solid again. The veteran forward finished with 18 points on 5-for-11 shooting. An aggressive Ben McLemore added 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting as the Kings improved to 17-23 on the season.
NBA
The Kings left J.J. Redick open and he torched them for 22 points on 5-for-9 from deep. Jamal Crawford, 35, ran circles around the Kings defense, finishing with 20 points off the Clippers bench.
Like Cousins, Chris Paul struggled with foul problems. The eight-time All-Star finished the game with 15 points and seven assists in 27 minutes. Filling in for DeAndre Jordan, Cole Aldrich managed to score 19 points and grab 10 rebounds in the loss.
STANDOUT PERFORMER
In his second game back from injury, Casspi found his range. The veteran caught fire from deep, hitting 5-of-8 from distance and finishing the night with 17 points off the Kings bench.
TURNING POINT
With the game undecided in the final minutes, the Kings outlasted the Clippers from the line. Rondo knocked down a pair of freebies with 10.9 remaining to give Sacramento a 109-103 lead and the Clippers missed a 3-point attempt on the other to end the threat.
INJURY UPDATE
Sacramento once again survived without a major injury setback. Eric Moreland (foot) and Duje Dukan (lower leg) are both out indefinitely.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Kings return to the Staples Center Wednesday night to face Kobe Bryant and the Lakers before facing the Atlanta Hawks at Sleep Train Arena on Thursday.