Clippers 116, Kings 105: Late Clips three-point barrage dooms Kings

Given that the Kings had allowed 14 three pointers when they were blown out by the Clippers in late February, one would hope they would have remembered Los Angeles favores the long-ball.

Instead, the perimeter defensive weakness that have plagued the Kings all season were on full display Wednesday as Los Angeles scored 17 threes—including eight of them in the fourth quarter—on route to a 116-105 victory. Rudy Gay led Sacramento (22-45) with 23 points, but the Clippers guard duo of Chris Paul and J.J. Redick combined for 11 three pointers on 22 attempts. Paul finished with 30 points and 11 assists, while Redick had 27 points.

DeMarcus Cousins missed the game due to a calf strain but even without their All-Star the Kings managed to hang tough, never trailing by more than seven until midway through the fourth quarter. A two point shot by Andre Miller with just over seven minutes left cut the Clippers lead to 92-88, but back-to-back-to-back threes by Los Angeles made it 101-90 and Sacramento never regained any momentum. Former King Hedo Turkoglu was especially lethal in the fourth, scoring three threes on his way to 19 points in the contest.

Los Angeles was missing two key contributors in Matt Barnes and Jamal Crawford, and star forward Blake Griffin (19 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) is still not back to proper conditioning after returning from an extended absence due to a staff infection. With the victory, the Clippers sit at 44-25 on the season and remain in 5th place in Western Conference standings.

Sacramento's bench held their own against the deeper Clippers, with Andre Miller (16 points, four assists) and Reggie Evans (eight points, 11 rebounds) leading the second unit's effort. Rookie Nik Stauskas continued his mini late-season resurgence, scoring 13 points on 4-6 shooting, but Ben McLemore ended with zero points on 0-5 shooting while still struggling with a wrist injury

The next visitor on this homestand for Sacramento will be the Hornets, who the Kings bested 113-106 in Charlotte last week.

For the rival’s perspective on the game, check out Clips Nation.

EDIT:

The Sacramento Kings have been eliminated from playoff contention.

— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) March 19, 2015