SACRAMENTO -- Stuck in the mud.
The Kings (12-22) got into a slow half-court game with the Los Angeles Clippers (24-11), playing right into their hands Tuesday at Golden 1 Center.
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Paul George nearly put up a triple-double and Kawhi Leonard shot over the top of the Kings for 24 points in the Clippers' 105-87 win, as Sacramento lost its eighth straight to close out 2019.
Here are three takeaways from the Kings' quiet end of the decade.
Going through the motions
The Kings’ effort in the first half was abysmal, and the Clippers made them pay.
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Other than Buddy Hield and Richaun Holmes, the team looked disengaged and out of sorts. In front of a huge home-court crowd, the Kings shot just 33.3 percent from the field for the first 24 minutes and trailed by 17 going into halftime.
Sacramento played with force in the third quarter, but the damage was already done. Once Leonard and George got their rhythm, LA had no problem coming away with the W.
No quit in Holmes
Despite the lopsided score, Holmes played hard every minute he was on the court.
One of the reasons the Kings chased Holmes in free agency was to go up against players like the Clippers’ Montrezl Harrell. The two didn’t see a ton of time against one another with Holmes starting, but the Kings’ big got the best of the matchup when they did.
Holmes posted 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go with 10 rebounds, three blocks and a steal.
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Buddy finds his stroke
After a brutal five-game stretch where Hield couldn’t buy a bucket, he has strung together three straight solid shooting games.
Hield finished with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists Tuesday against the Clippers. He turned the ball over three times and hit just 3-for-10 from long range, but the Kings need his scoring in a bad way heading into 2020.