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    Game

    Clippers fall to Kings in second-highest scoring game in NBA history ā€“ Press Enterprise

    ICARUSBy ėŒ“źø€ ģ—†ģŒ18 Mins Read
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    LOS ANGELES ā€” This game had all the vibes of a playoff contest with a packed arena, full of fans snapping cell phone pictures of the newest Clippers player in his first game and high expectations of a victory.

    And Russell Westbrook didnā€™t disappoint in his debut in a 176-175 double-overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena ā€“Ā the second-highest scoring game in NBA history. It was his first game since being traded by the Lakers two weeks ago and then signing with the Clippers earlier this week.

    After receiving an enthusiastic standing ovation in the same arena where he previously had been booed, the point guard scored the Clippersā€™ first two points on free throws. He then dished off passes to Marcus Morris Sr. and Mason Plumlee. The Westbrook era had begun, not with a victory but with a wild, entertaining game that got away from the Clippers down the stretch.

    After the Clippers led by as many as 14 points with 4:28 left in regulation, the hosts and the Kings engaged in a show of one-upmanship in two overtime periods. Kawhi Leonard finished with a season-high 44 points (one short of tying his career high) for the Clippers, but the Kings took advantage of 25 Clipper turnovers and came up with key baskets from Malik Monk (career-high 45 points) and Deā€™Aaron Fox (42) in the final seconds.

    Coach Tyronn Lue said the turnovers were the Clippersā€™ downfall when they still had a double-digit lead in regulation.

    ā€œI think we had three in a row, live ball turnovers, which allowed them to get out and get six easy points without having to work for it,ā€ Lue said. ā€œWhen you have 25 turnovers off 42 points, itā€™s tough to try to win that game.ā€

    The Clippers had a 175-169 advantage with 1:57 remaining in the second overtime before the Kings (34-25) scored the final seven points, including Foxā€™s jumper with 36.5 seconds remaining. The Clippers (33-29) had the final shot, but Nicolas Batum missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

    Westbrook, who started, figured in both overtime periods, logging two baskets and two assists and finished with 17 points, 14 assists and five rebounds (and seven turnovers) in 39 minutes before fouling out with 1:49 remaining in the second overtime. His 14 assists matched Andre Millerā€™s 2002 effort for the most by a player in his Clippers debut.

    ā€œIt was great just to get back on the floor,ā€ Westbrook said. ā€œJust obviously you want to win, thatā€™s the most important part. Iā€™ll watch the film, get ready to go on Sunday.ā€

    After a tumultuous season and a half as a Laker, he appreciated the warm reception.

    ā€œItā€™s a blessing, just the excitement in the building,ā€ Westbrook said. ā€œThe enthusiasm from fans and just the support that they have, not just for me, but for the overall team was great and hopefully we can keep that going as the season goes along. Iā€™ll do my part by playing as hard as I can, when given an opportunity.ā€

    Lue had said a day earlier that he just wanted ā€œRuss to be Russā€ and this looked a lot like the Russ of a few years ago, not recent history. He passed the ball, played defense, pushed the pace and took shots when it made sense.

    ā€œWhatever I need to do, he needs to do, the team needs to do to win, that is what we have to do,ā€ Lue said. ā€œAnd he is on board with that.ā€

    As a bonus, the fans got to see Mason Plumlee make the most of his first start and second game as a Clipper. The 7-foot center, who was filling in for Ivica Zubac (knee), was omnipresent on the court ā€“ his long arms grabbing rebounds, disrupting shots, scrambling for loose balls all the while adding eight points and nine rebounds.

    But the bulk of the night belonged to Leonard, who posted 30-plus points for the eighth time in his past 17 games. He shot 16 for 22 from the field (6 for 9 from 3-point range) and went 6 for 6 from the free-throw line in 46 minutes. His 21 points in the third quarter tied his career-high for most points in a quarter.

    ā€œI thought he did a great job getting to a spot with the 3-point shots and attacking the basket,ā€ Lue said of Leonard.

    Paul George contributed 34 points and 10 rebounds in 41 minutes and Norman Powell added 24 points.

    George passed Dirk Nowitzki and moved into 15th place on the NBAā€™s all-time 3-point field goal list with his first long-range shot in the first quarter, and added four more before the game was over.

    Leonardā€™s performance was overshadowed by Monk and Fox, who also had 12 assists and five steals and became just the 12th player since 1973-74 with 40 points, 10 assists and five steals in a game.

    The Clippers fed off the crowdā€™s energy early to keep pace with the Kings, who have the best road record in the Western Conference. The first half was a shootout, with both teams shooting near the 60% mark in a close game. The half ended with the Clippers holding an 80-76 lead.

    The game continued to be a high-scoring back-and-forth affair with the crowd cheering every Clippers basket and there were many. Their 26 3-pointers were a season-high and they shot 60.2% from the field. The Kings, who had four other players score in double figures, shot 58.6% overall and made 18 3-pointers.

    But the momentum shifted in the final two minutes of regulation. The Clippers, who had a 145-131 advantage with 4:25 left, found their lead trimmed to 147-140 when Fox stole the ball from George and scored. Keegan Murray followed by intercepting a bad pass from George to score a layup and trim the lead to 147-142.

    Powell was called for an offensive foul, leading to layups by Fox and Domantas Sabonis to cap a 10-0 Sacramento run that left the Clippers clinging to a one-point lead at 147-146 with 1:22 left.

    After the teams traded free throws, Westbrook scored on a short jumper to give the Clippers a 151-148 lead. The Kings followed with a layup by Fox before George hit two free throws with 8.5 seconds left.





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