Preview: Kings, Clippers set for crucial matchup in Los Angeles

A Pacific Division showdown of two NBA playoff hopefuls and the Western Conference’s third and fourth seeds will occur Friday night when the Sacramento Kings (33-25) face the new-look Los Angeles Clippers (33-28) at crypto.com Arena.

While the Kings enter play with a 1.5-game lead over the Clippers in the Western Conference standings, Los Angeles will premiere its new-look roster that includes recently signed Russell Westbrook and trade deadline acquisitions Eric Gordon, Bones Hyland, and Mason Plumlee.

Star duo Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are both expected to be available when Los Angeles faces Sacramento, a team that will be playing the second night of a back-to-back after running up a 133-116 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.

Surprisingly, the Kings hold a 5-4 record when playing the second game of a back-to-back this season.

Thankfully for Sacramento, four of its five starters played 26 minutes or less during Thursday’s win, with Domantas Sabonis (32 minutes) being the lone exception. The Kings will need fresh legs when they face a Clippers team that has benefited from eight days of rest.

Friday’s game holds importance for both teams as Los Angeles hopes to trim Sacramento’s Pacific Division lead and close the gap in the West standings by an entire game with a win. The winner of this game will also secure at least a tie in the season series as both teams enter play with a 1-1 head-to-head record.

From this point on, each Kings game will hold a tad more importance than the last–and this one is undoubtedly significant for both teams.

De'Aaron Fox was locked in during the second half tonight 🔥

20 PTS
6/6 FG
1/1 3PT
7/8 FT
12 MIN

Webber. Cousins. Richmond. Three players that never scored 30+ points in five-straight games during their time in a Kings jersey.

De'Aaron Fox is something else. pic.twitter.com/ZD99CLxXDA

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) February 24, 2023

Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers Game Info

When: 7:30 PM PST

Where: crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA

TV: NBC Sports California

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM – Pregame coverage starts at 6:00 PM PST on Game Night

Line: Clippers -6.5, O/U: 237.5

Start Strong

Let’s not have a repeat of last night, shall we?

The Kings have fallen flat during the first quarter on several occasions this season, and Thursday night’s start against a Trail Blazers team that was down four starters wasn’t any different. Sacramento was in a 22-6 hold midway through the quarter before finally–as head coach Mike Brown would say–turning the jets on.

While the Kings crawled out of the early hole and recovered to pick up the win, they could be unable to slug their way out of a similar predicament on Friday.

Much like February 10th’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento won’t have the luxury of facing a severely short-handed team when they meet the Clippers. During that loss to Dallas, the Kings were outscored 45-25 during the first quarter. While Sacramento went on to outscore the Mavs in the remaining three quarters, too much damage had been done.

Jumping out and setting the tone early against the Clippers would be ideal, as the Kings should look to avoid any early double-digit deficits while facing a loaded lineup.

Attack The Paint

The Los Angeles Clippers have been one of the better defensive teams in the NBA this season as they enter play with the league’s fourth-best opponent points per game average (111.1) and 10th-best defensive rating (113.5).

Los Angeles’ interior defense has been anchored by center Ivica Zubac (10.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game) and his 111 defensive rating (third-best on team). Zubac will not play on Friday due to a right calf strain, meaning Domantas Sabonis and the Kings offense should be on the attack.

With Zubac out of the picture, recently-acquired Mason Plumlee will be in line to match up against Sabonis, which could spell trouble for the new Clipper.

Back on December 19th while with the Charlotte Hornets, Plumlee struggled to slow Sabonis as the All-Star center posted 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting to go along with 23 rebounds and seven assists.

Plumlee got into foul trouble quickly while trying to battle Sabonis on the glass and in the paint, as he was whistled for two fouls over the first 60 seconds of play.

If the Kings can get Plumlee into foul trouble on Friday, the Clippers are very thin at center position as 6’7 forward Robert Covington would be forced to slide over and battle Sabonis down low.

Los Angeles ranks 14th in the NBA in paint defense, but they’re a bottom-tier paint defense without the services of Zubac. Sacramento should look to take advantage with Sabonis, Harrison Barnes, and slicers like Malik Monk and Terence Davis attacking the paint often.

Bonus: Another Fox 30-piece?

De’Aaron Fox is playing the best basketball of his career.

The All-Star became the first King in the Sacrmento era (1985-present) to score 30+ points in five-straight games, breaking a tie with franchise greats Chris Webber, Mitch Richmond, and DeMarcus Cousins after scoring 31 points during Thursday’s win over Portland.

Fox will matchup against Clippers guards Terance Mann and Russell Westbrook on Friday, but the speedy guard should be up for the challenge after logging 26 minutes of playing time last night.

If Fox secures his sixth-straight 30-point game against Los Angeles, he will become the first King to do so since Nate ‘Tiny’ Archibald did so in 1975 when the franchise was located in Kansas City (nine-straight games).

Players to score 30+ points in 5+ straight games this season:

Luka Dončić (9, 6)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (8, 6, 6)
LeBron James (7)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (7, 5)
Joel Embiid (7, 6, 5)
Kyrie Irving (6)
Jayson Tatum (6)
Damian Lillard (6, 5)
𝐃𝐞'𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐱 (𝟓) pic.twitter.com/50hYX0vHAB

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) February 24, 2023

Recent History

• Sacramento has won five of their past seven games against the Clippers at crypto.com Arena dating back to the start of the 2019-20 season.

Injury Report

Sacramento

• KZ Okpala – OUT (knee soreness)

Los Angeles

• Ivica Zubac – OUT (right calf strain)
• Jason Preston and Brandon Boston Jr. are on assignment with G-League affiliate Ontario.

Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule

Friday, February 24th – Sacramento Kings @ Los Angeles Clippers – 7:30 PM PST

Sunday, February 26th – Sacramento Kings @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 4:00 PM PST

Tuesday, February 28th – Sacramento Kings @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 5:00 PM PST

Friday, March 3rd – Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 7:00 PM PST

Saturday, March 4th – Sacramento Kings vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – 7:00 PM PST

Thank you for reading sactownsports.com. Follow us on Twitter and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Frankie Cartoscelli is the Sacramento Kings beat reporter for sactownsports.com. Follow Frankie on Twitter.

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