Clippers beat Kings for fourth win in a row and first NBA Cup victory

The NBA Cup matchup between the Clippers and Sacramento Kings heightened both teams’ awareness even with it being an early-season game.

Both teams had lost their first Cup game and were in need of a victory to stay relevant during the in-season tournament. For the Clippers, the Cup game gave them another chance to improve their sloppy play when it came to taking care of the ball and to keep taking steps in the right direction.

And the game allowed the Clippers to once again show how mighty they are on defense, which they did in slowing the high-scoring Kings during a 104-88 win Friday night at the Intuit Dome.

The Clippers, 1-3 in the NBA Cup last season, matched that win total by winning their fourth consecutive game and improved to 1-1 in group play.

“All games are meaningful for us,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “Playing for the Cup and having a chance to go to Vegas to play for the big money is always intriguing as well. But we got to play the same way every night, whether it’s the Cup, whatever we are doing, being shorthanded.”

Clippers

Clippers’ offense steps up to end Orlando’s winning streak

The Clippers build a 19-point lead in the third quarter and came away with a victory over the Magic at Intuit Dome.

Nov. 20, 2024

The Kings came in averaging 116.9 points, seventh best in the NBA, and shooting 48.9% percent from the field, third best. Point guard De’Aaron Fox averages 28.8 points, sixth most in the league.

From the start, the Clippers put the clamps on Sacramento.

They held the Kings to 12 points and 19% shooting in the first quarter, 11.9% (one for nine) from three-point range. For the game, the Kings shot 38.6% overall and 20% from three.

Fox made his first shot on his sixth attempt. He finished with 29 points, but that wasn’t enough to overwhelm the Clippers.

They opened a 14-point lead at the end of the first quarter that grew to 25 in the second. The Clippers helped their cause by taking care of the ball and getting a team-high 22 points and nine assists from James Harden and a double-double of 15 rebounds and 10 points from Ivica Zubac.

Yes, NBA players make a lot of money, but the $514,970 prize money that goes to each member of the winning team in the NBA Cup still motivates them. It doesn’t hurt that the championship game is played in Las Vegas on Dec. 17.

“We didn’t play well the last Cup game we had [at Houston]. So, we wanted to come out and protect home court and we did that,” Harden said.

After an 0-4 start at their new $2-billion home, the Clippers (10-7) have won seven in a row there.

The Clippers had 25 turnovers in their win over Orlando on Wednesday night. On the season, the Clippers average 15.8 turnovers per game, fifth most in the NBA.

So, Lue was asked, when he shows his group film of their miscues, what do they say to him?

“My bad,” Lue said.

Then, what do you say?

“I say it’s a bad pass,” Lue said. “And then they say, ‘Facts!’ So, I mean, they understand it. They see it. Just got to keep showing them, keep talking about it, because our margin for error is so slim. We just got to take care of the basketball.”

For this game, at least, lesson learned. The Clippers had zero turnovers in the first quarter. They didn’t commit their first until there were 9 minutes 22 seconds left in the second quarter, and that was on an offensive foul called against center Mo Bamba.

By the half, the Clippers had turned the ball over just three times and had only 12 in the game.

Etc.

Lue said leading scorer Norman Powell (23.3 point per game), who missed his second straight game because of a strained left hamstring, will join the team for this week’s four-game trip. When asked if All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard, out to start the season because of right knee inflammation, would go on the trip, Lue said, “No, sir.” ... Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is managing swelling in his left knee and will miss a second consecutive game Sunday against the Clippers.