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 has been on a tear. He scored 40 points, doled out 13 assists, grabbed eight rebounds and made two steals in Friday’s 117-107 victory at Sacramento. Here are a couple of moves that Paul used to get two of those 40 points. Check it out:
Chris Paul/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers
There was a lot of talk about Chris Paul following his performance in the Clippers’ 117-107 victory at Sacramento on Friday night. For good reason. He was banged up coming in – forearm bruise, tight calf – and then he got poked in the eye in the second quarter. Yet he scored 40 points, doled out 13 assists and grabbed eight rebounds in 36 marvelous minutes.
But Paul himself was quick to point out that it was third-quarter defense that propelled his team to victory. The Clippers trailed 67-64 at halftime, then outscored the Kings 34-16 in the third, during which the Clippers went on a 20-0 run.
“It was defense,” said Paul, whose team next plays host to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night at 7:30 at Staples center. “It was straight defense. Me and DJ (DeAndre Jordan) talked about it at halftime. We had to set the tone, so I tried to start picking up DC (Darren Collison) earlier, not just letting him be in a rocking chair, picking us apart. I think they started feeling us a little bit more in the third quarter and that sort of fed our offense.”
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.
Paul Pierce/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers (37-20) have confirmed that forward Paul Pierce is not with the team in Sacramento, where it will play the Kings (24-32) on Friday night at 7.
A Clippers spokesman said Pierce will miss the game for personal reasons.
Pierce, the team’s starting small forward, is averaging 5.8 points and 2.8 rebounds. With his absence, it won’t be surprising to see Jeff Green start in his spot.
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.”