LOS ANGELES-After a high oftentimes the low usually follows right behind. The Los Angeles Clippers, fresh from a high of defeating the San Antonio Spurs the first game after the NBA All-Star break, started off the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings like it was going to be one of those nights where getting up for a sub .500 team was going to be a clear recipe for a letdown.
Shame on anyone who thought that. The Clippers, playing another game without Blake Griffin, shook off the first quarter blues that saw them drop 10 points behind the visitors from Northern California and riddled the Kings with 42 points in the second period to blow smoke to any thoughts of a post-Spurs meltdown.
Game over. The Kings didn’t know what hit them. But they do know the Clippers’ haymaker of a second quarter came from all over the place. Shooting 74 percent from the field in the decisive period, the Clippers steamrolled the Kings with a 126-99 win Saturday night at Staples Center. And it wasn’t even that close.
The Kings probably thought they had the Clippers where they wanted by the end of the first quarter when they rolled to a 29-24 lead. Not exactly a strong defensive effort by Doc Rivers’ team. But then again, who needs defense if you can drop 42 points on an opponent in a 12 minute span? Talk about getting unleashed…that’s kind of what has happened to the Clippers offense the last two games without Griffin, their resident superstar.
The first game back from the NBA All-Star break,the Clippers went buckwild against the world champions, scoring 119 points against the Spurs. Now a 42-point quarter outburst. What gives? With Griffin out of the lineup, someone has to step up their game put up more points for the Clippers. Jamal Crawford and DeAndre Jordan did the honors against the Spurs with 26 points apiece.
The Kings had to deal with a three-headed monster from the Clippers as Crawford, Austin Rivers and J. J. Redick became the one-two-three combo package Sacramento couldn’t contain. Instead watching a wrestling match all game between Jordan and Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins, the Staples Center crowd was treated to a bombs away show by Redick, the artistic wizardry of Crawford and the hustle and grit by Rivers.
If there were worries or concerns about the lack of a scoring punch without Griffin on the court, the last two games may have answered those questions. But with a big a game coming up against Memphis, where scoring points become a luxury, the Clippers will take all the scoring when they can and wherever they can get it from.
Redick kicked the Clippers offense in gear by scoring 18 of his 24 points in the first half. Crawford kept the pressure on Sacramento by picking up where Redick left off, tallying 23 points for the game. The play of Rivers was a nice surprise. Since coming to the Clippers in a trade from New Orleans, Rivers, has shown snippets of potential of how he can help the squad. The Kings received a personal invitation as Rivers put up a game-high 28 points.
With Griffin out this game had all the makings of a tug-o-war battle in the paint between Jordan and Cousins. That never materialized as the Clippers’ 73 points in the second and third quarters turned the contest into a track meet instead. Cousins never did get anything going, connecting on just 6 of 19 field goal attempts. That pretty much summed up the Kings’ night.
Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, race, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University. Email Dennis at dfreeman@news4usonline.com
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