The Los Angeles Clippers opened the regular season with questions hanging all around them, from offseason turbulence to an injury list that kept growing. On Wednesday night, they answered with force.
Behind a dominant second half and a loud crowd at Intuit Dome, the Clippers rolled past the Sacramento Kings, 121-96.
The game followed a familiar script once Los Angeles settled in. Like their 131-90 home win over Sacramento on Dec. 30 last season - the Clippers’ largest home margin ever against the Kings - they seized control and never really let go after halftime.
Tyronn Lue liked what he saw from the perimeter and the overall efficiency.
“We shot 52% from the field and 40% from three, those are some good numbers,” said Lue. “We just got to make sure we play the right way every possession, we have no margin for error.”
The Clippers wasted little time getting into rhythm. They poured in 41 points in the first quarter, a massive contrast from the 17 they managed in the teams’ last meeting in Sacramento on Feb.
- By the time they had buried seven threes early in the second quarter, their lead had swelled to 18 and the building was buzzing.
Sacramento pushed back before the break, though. After an early Kings timeout, the visitors answered with a 25-14 surge to close the half, cutting the Clippers’ advantage to 61-54 while Los Angeles missed 13 of 18 shots during that stretch.
The response after halftime was the difference. Los Angeles moved the ball better, found clean looks, and kept creating space for its main weapons. Lue said that was the key.
“As the second half started, I thought we did a better job of just moving the basketball, moving bodies, and making the right plays,” said Lue. “We’ve got to continue doing that every single night.”
Darius Garland set the tone for the Clippers and finished as the game’s top scorer with 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting. He has now scored in double figures in all 20 games as a Clipper.
“Darius I thought coming out (set) the tone early, scoring the ball offensively,” said Lue. “Then in the second half getting everyone else involved, he did a really good job of orchestrating that second half.”
Brook Lopez was just as important in the front court. In his new role as backup center, he controlled the paint and posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds in his 18th season.
That veteran duo sparked the third-quarter burst that put the game away. After an early Clippers timeout with Sacramento having trimmed the margin to five, Los Angeles caught fire again, making 8 of its next 13 shots and pushing the lead back to 18 and beyond. The Kings never got the deficit back into single digits after that.
Sacramento had its own veteran production. Zach LaVine scored 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting, and Domantas Sabonis added 14 points and 18 rebounds. Those 18 boards matched a season high from Sabonis last season, when he played only 19 games because of injury, and it was the most rebounds by any player in a Kings season opener in franchise history.
The Kings’ most difficult debut belonged to No. 7 pick Darius Acuff Jr., who showed aggression attacking the rim and getting looks but struggled badly from the field. He finished with 12 points on 5-for-24 shooting and missed all seven of his three-point attempts.
Clippers rookie Keaton Wagler saw more run once the game opened up in the second half and finished with 15 points, including 10 after the break, plus five rebounds and five assists.
The win was the Clippers’ 113th against the Kings and their 69th at home in the matchup. It also extended a run that already includes the third-best overall record in the league since the 2011-2012 season and the longest active winning-season streak at 15.
Los Angeles now turns to Friday’s trip up Interstate 110 for a meeting with the Lakers.
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The Clippers opened the season with a convincing 121-96 win over the Kings, and the night carried a little extra weight because Steve Ballmer was not in the building. With interim governor John Gibson representing him, the game doubled as a reminder of the turbulence hanging over the franchise before a meaningful regular-season possession was even played.
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For a team that spent the summer navigating the departure of Kawhi Leonard and the fallout from league sanctions tied to salary-cap circumvention, this was more than just a clean start. It was a reminder that the Clippers can still generate hope from inside the building, especially when Garland is steering the attack and the supporting cast is active enough to make opponents feel rushed from the opening tip. [Read more 🡒]