Three Takeaways From the LA Clippers Dominant Win Against the Sacramento Kings
After defeating the Sacramento Kings handily last Friday, the LA Clippers once again dominated the Kings on Wednesday night, implementing the same strategy that brought them victory in their previous matchup: play smothering defense and knock down a ton of three-pointers.
Though the margin of victory wasn’t quite as astounding as last Friday’s 138-100 victory, the Clippers comfortably defeated the Kings 115-96, winning their fifth game in a row and catapulting to first place in the Western Conference standings.
Another comparison that can be made between the two Kings matchups is the Clippers’ ability to flip the switch in the second half. After playing a lackluster first half, leading by only five points at halftime and allowing an inferior Sacramento team to hang around, the Clippers came out of the locker room with a renewed focus on the defensive end of the floor, holding the Kings to just 19 points in the third quarter and dominating in transition. The Clippers, who lead the league in third-quarter points, won the quarter 34-19 and effectively ended the game, save for some sloppy fourth-quarter play that gave the Kings a false sense of confidence.
“I just think those guys are doing a good job of coming out with a defensive mindset,” Head Coach Tyronn Lue said of the Clippers’ second-half shift. “I think in that third quarter [Nicolas Batum] had four steals maybe to spark our run, [Patrick Beverley] had a big block. Just trying to get their mindset coming out in those third quarters to give everything they’ve got the first six minutes defensively and try to break the game open.”
Though the Clippers’ victims during their five-game win streak haven’t been the cream of the crop in terms of opponents, they are beating the teams they are supposed to and taking care of business. Their offense continues to look scarily efficient, as a vast majority of their shots came either at the rim or behind the three-point line, where they continue to set the league aflame (16-35, 45.7% from deep for the game). Wednesday’s win was a great indicator that their defense can be just as deadly when all of their lengthy wings are locked in and cutting off passing lanes, and no one does that better than the player of the game: Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard Gives His Best Two-Way Performance of the Season
Though it was not his highest-scoring game of the season (he dropped 35 on the Bulls on January 10th), this was no-doubt Kawhi Leonard’s most impactful game of the year thus far when considering his two-way impact. His stat line of 32 points (13-22 FG, 3-5 3PT) five assists and season-high six steals is a perfect encapsulation of how Leonard can take a stranglehold on an opposing team when he is locked in defensively and finding his rhythm on offense. Leonard saw through Sacramento’s offense like a thin sheet of paper: he was anticipating passes instinctively, intercepting lanes and turning the Kings’ mistakes into easy points in transition. He also had a few of his signature giant-hand-ball-swipes while giving help defensively.
On the other end, his jumpshot was falling, and he showed off a few impressively difficult finishes at the rim. The Clippers did a great job of getting him switched onto smaller defenders like De’Aaron Fox, and Leonard exploited this mismatch in the post.
The beauty of the depth of this Clippers team is that Leonard does not have to give this level of performance every night for his team to win, but it’s comforting for fans to know that he can still turn it on when he chooses to. He looked like the version of himself that won Defensive Player of the Year, and LA will need that version come playoff time.
Zubac Shines off the Bench
Leonard wasn’t the only Clipper who had his best game of the season. Ivica Zubac was dominant, earning his first double-double of the year (11 points, 12 rebounds) and anchoring the second unit. Zubac’s new role as the backup center has no-doubt been an adjustment for him, but he looked engaged against the Kings. He was rolling hard to the rim, setting tough screens and hustling on the offensive glass (four offensive rebounds on the night).
“I’m here to do whatever I’m asked to do,” Zubac said of his bench role. “When [Tyronn] Lue told me I was going to be coming off the bench I took that as a challenge. Whatever they need me to do I’m going to help. Just took it as a challenge. That’s all it is.”
The addition of Serge Ibaka no doubt gives the Clippers a versatility that was lacking at the center position last season. But there will still be moments, in both the regular season and the postseason, when LA will need Zubac to take advantage of his size and skillset. Defensively, he’s still their biggest player, and there will be matchups where he will be the Clippers’ best option. Games like Wednesday’s are a good indicator that he’ll be ready when his number is called.
PG, the PG
It’s no secret that Paul George has been shooting the ball like a man possessed this season, but he showed off a different aspect of his versatile game against the Kings. Though his nine-game streak of 20+ points was snapped, he contributed to the offense in the form of playmaking, dishing out a career-high 12 assists to go along with his 19 points and seven rebounds. George was the de facto point guard when running with the second unit, finding shooters like Lou Williams (who returned from a hip injury) and Luke Kennard. George was also dishing out drop passes to bigs in the lane after drawing multiple defenders.
George’s scoring surge to start the season has forced teams to overcommit to him, and he’s making them pay by finding his teammates. His season average of 5.6 assists would be a career-high, and his playmaking is much needed. Patrick Beverly isn’t exactly a traditional point guard, and Williams has yet to look like his former self this year. If George can slide into a point-forward role while maintaining his lights-out shooting, the Clippers will look competent offensively come playoff time.
The Clippers will host two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday and Sunday, where they will welcome back former Clipper Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They will then embark on a six-game East Coast road trip. If they can continue to beat the teams they’re supposed to and avoid any Covid-related absences in the process, LA should have a good shot at maintaining their #1 seed in the Western Conference.
