It appears DeMarcus Cousins of Sacramento didn’t appreciate the Clippers’ Chris Paul trying to knock the ball loose before Cousins took it out during the fourth quarter of the Clippers’ 117-107 victory at Sacramento on Friday. Check out Cousins’ reaction:
Chris Paul/Photo courtesy os Los Angeles Clippers
Chris Paul entered the Clippers’ game Friday at Sacramento nursing several minor injuries, then he got poked in the eye by the Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins late in the second quarter.
Battered but unbowed, Paul went on to scored a game-high 40 points on 13 of 20 shooting to lead the Clippers to a 117-107 victory. Paul made 4 of 9 from 3-point range. He also doled out 13 assists, grabbed eight rebounds and made two steals in 36 marvelous minutes. The point guard committed only two turnovers. For good measure, he made all 10 of his free throws.
Recently acquired Jeff Green had his best game as a member of the Clippers (38-20), coming through with 22 points on 9 of 13 shooting – 4 of 5 from 3-point range. He also had five rebounds and started at forward in place of Paul Pierce, who was not with the team because of personal reasons. Green played 31 minutes.
Jamal Crawford contributed 21 points off the bench on 7 of 19 shooting and J.J. Redick scored 16. Wes Johnson struggled again from the field, shooting 2 of 8 while scoring four points. Johnson shot 2 of 11 in Wednesday upset-loss to Denver at Staples Center.
Cousins led the Kings (24-33) with 26 points and 15 rebounds, Rudy Gay scored 23 and Darren Collison had 18 points and five assists.
Collison started in place of point guard Rajon Rondo, who was out with a thumb injury.
Cole Aldrich, left, of the Clippers defends against DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings during Saturday’s game at Staples Center/AP photo by Mark J. Terrill
– The Clippers’ bubble finally burst in this one. They had won 10 consecutive games, the last nine of those coming without injured forward Blake Griffin. The last victory of the streak, Wednesday over Miami, came without both Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, who sat out that one with pneumonia. Jordan also missed this game.
– The Clippers shot 39 3-pointers. That’s only good if you make 40 percent of them. Not so much when you make only 13, which is 33.3 percent. Paul Pierce was 1 of 5 from beyond the arc, Austin Rivers and Wesley Matthews were both 0 of 4. Hard to win like that.
– Chris Paul getting into foul trouble in the first half set the tone for what would be a 64-point first half for the Kings. This was surprising to see because the Clippers have been solid on defense of late. But Paul played only nine minutes in the half, and he’s one of the team’s top defenders. Even Paul didn’t realize he had played so little. After the game, he said to an inquiring reporter, “Who only played nine minutes?” The Clippers allowed Charlotte
– Interesting game by Cole Aldrich. He began by making just one of his first seven shots. He finished 8 of 14 and scored 19 points for the second consecutive game. He also had 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks while again starting for the ill Jordan.
– Credit the Kings. They shot 52 percent (13 of 25) from 3-point range and five players scored at least 15 points. Throw in Rajon Rondo‘s 13 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and two steals, and the Kings fought hard for the win. Chris Paul made as much afterward: “They played great. They made shots, they moved the ball.”
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Blake Griffin/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers
– Lance Stephenson scored seven points with four pretty assists. But he also added a big dose of energy that seemed to help spark his team on a night when coach Doc Rivers said the team lacked it. Stephenson had a baseline drive and monster slam, after which he let out a very loud scream.
– DeAndre Jordan was an absolute beast in this one. He scored 15 points, and he also pulled down 18 rebounds and blocked a whopping seven shots. Through three games, Jordan is averaging 15 rebounds and five blocks.
– The curious thing about this game was that Kings center DeMarcus Cousins – rapidly becoming one of the best players in the league – did not play in the second half because of a strained Achilles. Yet, after trailing by 12 in the third quarter, the Kings came all the way back to take a 1-point lead in the fourth quarter before the Clippers regrouped. Again, Rivers said the overall lack of energy was the reason why.
– The bench, for the most part, stunk in this one. Reserves shot a combined 5 of 20 from the field, scoring just 15 points. Jamal Crawford scored 10 of those. On most nights, against good teams, those numbers could spell defeat.
J.J. Redick/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers on Saturday trailed by 12 points at 39-27 with 8:15 left to play in the second quarter, but outscored the Sacramento Kings 32-16 to take a 59-55 lead into the locker room at halftime at Staples Center.
Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick scored 15 points apiece for the Clippers, DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and eight rebounds and Chris Paul had 10 points and four assists.
DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with 13 points and nine rebounds.
Blake Griffin/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers
The Sacramento Kings erased all of a 15-point early fourth-quarter deficit to take a 1-point lead on the Clippers, but the Clippers pulled together and came away with a 111-104 victory over the Kings in a season-opener Wednesday at Sacramento.
The Kings took a lead at 93-92 with 6:50 to play, but the Clippers fought back to outscore Sacramento 19-11 down the stretch.
Blake Griffin led all scorers with 33 points on 14 of 20 from the field. He also had eight rebounds and four assists. Chris Paul had 18 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and two steals. J.J. Redick scored 15 points, DeAndre Jordan had eight points, 12 rebounds and four blocks; and Paul Pierce and Jamal Crawford scored 12 and 11 off the bench, respectively. Josh Smith had four blocks and six rebounds.
DeMarcus Cousins had 32 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Kings and Rudy Gay scored 16.
The Clippers shot 52.5 percent from the field