Kawhi Leonard scores 32 as Clippers clobber Kings

[January 21, 2021]    Kawhi Leonard had 32 points, six steals and five assists as the Los Angeles Clippers recorded their fifth consecutive victory, a 115-96 decision against the visiting Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

Paul George contributed 19 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds while Nicolas Batum and Ivica Zubac added 11 points apiece for Los Angeles. Zubac grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) drives to the basket past Los Angeles Clippers guard Luke Kennard (5) in the first half of the game Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

De'Aaron Fox scored 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting and added seven assists for the Kings, who lost their fourth straight. Glenn Robinson III had 14 points, Buddy Hield put up 13 points and Tyrese Haliburton chipped in 11. Marvin Bagley III had 10 points and eight rebounds.

It was the second meeting between the clubs in the past five days. The Clippers prevailed 138-100 on Friday at Sacramento.

As they did in their most recent contest, a Sunday win over the Indiana Pacers, the Clippers bolted past the Kings with a dominating third-quarter run. A 19-7 surge to open the period allowed Los Angeles to increase a five-point halftime lead to an 80-63 advantage after two foul shots by Serge Ibaka with 6:33 remaining.

A 3-pointer by Harrison Barnes sliced the margin to 82-73 with 4:11 left before the Clippers closed the quarter on a 13-2 run for a 20-point lead heading into the fourth. Los Angeles outscored Sacramento 34-19 in the quarter, getting 12 points from Leonard.

The Kings failed to get closer than 11 the rest of the way.

The Clippers led 61-56 at halftime. Both clubs shot well in the first half, with the Kings converting 52.3 percent of their field-goal attempts to 50 percent for the Clippers. Overall, the Clippers connected on 47.7 percent of their attempts to 45.3 percent for the Kings.

Clippers guard Lou Williams, who returned after missing two games with a hip injury, finished with six points in 15 minutes.

Kings center Hassan Whiteside (hip) sat out for the third game in a row.

--Field Level Media

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