Leonard Scores 32 in Clippers’ Victory Over the Sacramento Kings, 115-96

The LA Clippers began pounding hard recently, and their win over the Sacramento Kings tonight is one more proof of their excellent rhythm. Clips were better than the division rivals, 115-96, which was their 11th victory of the campaign.

At the moment, Tyronn Lue’s side has five straight wins right now and is tied atop of the conference with the local rivals, the LA Lakers.

“We’re still trying to get better. That’s our mindset,” Kawhi Leonard said. “We want to keep it moving. It’s the first leg of the season, we got to finish it out. We’re not satisfied.”

Kings held solidly until the late second, once hosts made an 8-0 series to take the lead before the break. It was a momentum they carried over into the third quarter, in which they outscored the visitors from Sacramento 36-19.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnoadjLgwI8

LAC had a couple of runs that saw Kings breaking down and surrendering even though there was one more period to be played. It seems that the Clips have some sort of a mental edge against the Kings. These two sides met last Wednesday at Golden One Center, and the team from LA annihilated the rivals, posting a 38-point victory, 138-100. That wasn’t the difference tonight, but it could have been if Lue’s guys continued to punish the Kings in the final period. Instead, they would remove the foot off the gas.

Leonard scored 32 points, with six steals and five assists. He was 13-for-22 from the field. Paul George ended the night with 19 points but adding 12 assists and seven boards, while Ivica Zubac contributed off the bench with 11 points and 12 boards. The young Croatian received big praises following the game.

“We got to keep pumping Zu. Zu just doesn’t know how dominant he can be,” George said. “You forget how young he is, and he’s still a baby.”

Zubac plays 18.4 minutes this year, averaging 7.5 points, 5.1 boards with 0.9 blocks, while shooting 70% from the floor.

Lou Williams scored two threes for six points, Luke Kennard had 9 buckets, and Nicola Batum 11.

De’Aaron Fox was the best in Sacramento. The dynamic guard ended the match with 25 points, 10-for-18, seven assists, and four rebounds. He scored 17 in the first half but deflated afterward.

Buddy Hield was once again under the expected level, having just 13 points, Marvin Bagley III had 10 with 8 rebounds, and Tyrese Haliburton had 11. Glen Robinson III was solid off the bench, with 14 points in 21 minutes.

“We see the mistakes and see what needs to be done. Now it’s on us to fix it,” Robinson said. “We’re still remaining positive.”

The Clippers (11-4) are now the No. 1 seed in the West and have won five straight. pic.twitter.com/l9qP0I40MU

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 21, 2021

Kings had just 12 free throws in tonight’s match and made five, while on the other side, the Clippers were 17-for-18, which is a huge difference. Also, the guests allowed 22 fast break points, while they scored nine. Keeping in mind that this should be one of the aspects where Kings dominate, it is easy to understand why they lost.

Up next, Sacramento hosts the New York Knicks, before heading on a six-game road trip, which kicks-off in Memphis with back-to-back games against the Grizzlies.

As for the red-hot Clippers, they also have back-to-back contests, only with Oklahoma City Thunder, at home. After that, Lue and his boys hit the road for a six-game tour throughout the East. They will meet the Hawks, Heat, Magic, Knicks, Nets, and the Cavs.