The L.A. Clippers overcame a 10-point lead to force an 111-110 overtime win over the Sacramento Kings. The Clippers and Kings went back and forth, exchanging several leads during the game. But staring down a loss in the fourth quarter, the Clippers stepped up to send the game to overtime, where they fought off a hungry Kings team to seal an important win thanks to a last-second Kawhi Leonard game-winner.
James Harden had another brilliant game, putting up a triple-double with 29 points (10-19 FG), nine rebounds, and 11 assists. Ivica Zubac also had a double-double, with 22 points (9-14 FG), 14 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block. Kawhi Leonard, despite making the game-winner, struggled to shoot the ball, putting up just 17 points (7-19 FG), four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.
As for the Sacramento Kings, they were led in scoring by Zach LaVine, who put up 30 points (12-22 FG), seven rebounds, and two assists. DeMar DeRozan made some big plays in the game, ending up with 31 points (9-20 FG), seven rebounds, 10 assists, and one steal. Keegan Murray delivered some big numbers, with 15 points (6-12 FG), six rebounds, and two assists.
The Clippers now move to a 35-29 record this season but continue to sit eighth in the Western Conference. They will hope to pick up some more wins as they head into the final stretch of the season. As for the Sacramento Kings, they sit right behind the Clippers with a 33-30 record, so the win was huge for them.
With all that said, here are three key takeaways from the Clippers’ win over the Kings:
James Harden Continues Strong Form
James Harden had a good game tonight, even when he couldn’t shoot from range, going 3-11 from beyond the arc. Harden made some big shots in the fourth quarter and overtime to help seal the Clippers’ win. On top of that, he played provider once again, dishing out several assists to his teammates, especially Ivica Zubac.
Harden scored six of the Clippers’ 14 overtime points and set up two other plays that earned the Clippers five points as well. To be responsible for a majority of your team’s offensive contributions during overtime is a big sign of just how important you are to your squad.
For the season, Harden is averaging 22.2 points, 8.6 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 39.4% from the field, 34.0% from beyond the arc, and 87.3% from the free-throw line. His production has been crucial to the Clippers’ success, even if it hasn’t been the most efficient run of his career.
Kings Come Short From Distance
The Sacramento Kings shot very poorly from beyond the arc. They went 9-34 from the range, converting just 26.5% of their shots from deep. This just goes to show that no matter how well a team plays, if they can’t make their shots from the three-point line, they stand very little chance to win in the modern NBA.
The Clippers were only marginally better on the night, going 10-31 from distance, converting 32.3% of their shots from a distance. But the Kings made a big mistake by not shooting better tonight, as they could have capitalized on this weakness and sealed the win for themselves long before.
This has been an issue for the Kings this entire season, as they rank 19th in the NBA when it comes to team three-point percentage, making just 35.2% of their attempts from deep. They need to be better as a team when shooting three-pointers if they want any chance of sustained success in the playoffs this year.
Kawhi Leonard Shows Clutch Gene
As mentioned above, Kawhi Leonard did not have a good night shooting the ball at all. However, in the big moment, with the Clippers down by a point in the final seconds of the game, Leonard drove to the basket and made an incredibly clutch shot to get the Clippers the win. Despite not having it going tonight, Leonard sunk the shot when the moment called for it.
At his healthiest, Leonard is one of the deadliest scorers in the NBA, especially in the clutch. His ability to not get nervous during tense situations is invaluable, especially as he doesn’t let a bad night affect him down the stretch, and he stepped up when the team needed him to. Players like him are extremely rare and can be the difference between a good team and a championship-level team.
Speaking of championships, unfortunately, that may not be in the cards for the Clippers this year. Despite having the second-best defense in the NBA, the Clippers have just not shown that they can hang with the best of the best at the highest level possible. But then again, with Kawhi Leonard on their team, they cannot be ruled out.
Now, the Clippers will focus their energy on the New Orleans Pelicans, whom they face on Tuesday Night at 8 PM EST at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans are a very weak team, so the Clippers shouldn’t struggle to beat them. But if they show complacency against them like they did against the Kings tonight, they could get caught on the wrong foot and lose the game. The Clippers must be careful.
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