After suffering a loss in the final seconds on Monday night, the LA Clippers return home to take on the surging Sacramento Kings.
The LA Clippers are having a difficult month of December, and it won’t end any easier than it began. The final stretch begins tonight against the Sacramento Kings, followed shortly by a matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers and against the San Antonio Spurs the following night.
Overall, the Clippers have gone 4-8 in December, with wins over the New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and Denver Nuggets. It appears that they’re beginning to return to form now that the month is nearing its end, and the best way to prove that would be winning out against their remaining opponents.
The Sacramento Kings, meanwhile, have had an almost completely opposite month. They’ve gone 8-4, with losses against the Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Oklahoma City Thunder. More recently, they’ve won their last two games against the Memphis Grizzlies and Pelicans.
De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield are both playing fantastic basketball this season, and are a big reason why the Kings are 18-15 and currently in playoff position. The two are averaging nearly 45 points per game for the month, pacing a team that owns the fifth-highest scoring average in the league.
Like the Clippers, the Kings aren’t known for their defense. Sacramento allows the third-most points per game, just a few spots ahead of LA. And while part of that is due to the fact that they play at the league’s second-fastest pace, their defensive rating is still among the bottom 10.
Fortunately, this is a matchup in which the Clippers should excel. LA is solid at most of the positions Sacramento isn’t, and has two solid defenders (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Avery Bradley) to cover the Kings’ best offensive performers.
This may also be Johnathan Motley‘s first game played for the NBA’s Clippers, which we covered earlier. The Agua Caliente standout was called up earlier today, and could finally get his chance to prove that he belongs in the big leagues. He’s averaging over 26 points and 11 rebounds per game in the G-League, and may get some run tonight at either power forward or center, depending on the lineup.
Last time out, it was Tobias Harris who led the Clippers over the Kings. He scored a game-high 28 points, while Montrezl Harrell followed closely behind with 24 off the bench. For the Clippers to win tonight, it feels like the same may need to happen.
The LA Clippers and Sacramento Kings will take the floor tonight at 7:30 PM PST. Expect it to be a shootout.