Kings-Clippers Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Apr 06 2012 9:39PM

With his team fighting for playoff position, Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin doesn't want to get caught up in a war of words with Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins.

That won't stop the Kings' mercurial big man from sharing his thoughts on this growing rivalry.

Griffin and Cousins meet for the second time in three days Saturday night when this home-and-home set concludes in Los Angeles.

Even if they can't run down the Los Angeles Lakers for the Pacific Division title, the Clippers (33-22) sit fourth in the Western Conference and are in good position to secure the franchise's first postseason berth since 2005-06.

Griffin deserves as much credit as anyone for the Clippers' 2011-12 success, ranking among the league leaders in double-doubles (34) and being just one of a handful of players in the NBA averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Known as much for his vicious dunks as anything else, the two-time All-Star showed off his outside shot in Thursday's 93-85 victory at Sacramento (19-36), hitting a pair of 22-foot jumpers in the final few minutes as Los Angeles bounced back from Wednesday's 113-108 loss to the Lakers for its seventh win in eight games.

Griffin, though, spent plenty of time battling Cousins down low, with the two second-year big men trading elbows and shoves - along with some words.

"It wasn't me going at anybody. I don't want to get that started," said Griffin, who has 14 points, nine boards and three assists in each of the two wins against Sacramento this season. "That's something that will hopefully go away for him. When guys get frustrated, that's what happens."

Cousins, one shy of his 13th technical and a one-game suspension, wasn't surprised by that response.

"That's what Blake is going to say because he's in L.A., where actors belong," said Cousins, who finished with eight points and three rebounds in 18 foul-plagued minutes. "And he's an actor."

Cousins, fined $25,000 by the NBA on Friday for publicly criticizing officials after Thursday's loss, can expect to see a few of those sitting courtside when these teams meet at Staples Center for the only time in 2011-12.

Los Angeles, winner of seven of eight at home, has lost just twice in the Kings' last eight visits.

Sacramento owns a conference-worst 5-22 road record, but after defeating Utah 104-103 on March 30, the team has a chance to win two straight away from home for the first time since a three-game run March 23-27, 2011.

The Kings, who open a stretch of four of five away from home, could be without Marcus Thornton for a third straight game (bruised right calf) and John Salmons, who has been sidelined for six with a sore right hip.

Thornton has averaged 23.5 points in two games against Los Angeles with Sacramento.

Clippers sixth man Mo Williams (sprained left big toe) could return for the first time in nine games. If Williams can't go, Eric Bledsoe, who had 13 points on Thursday, should see plenty of time backing up Chris Paul and Randy Foye, the latter the team leader with 36 points versus Sacramento this season after scoring 20 in the latest matchup.

The Clippers haven't swept a season series against the Kings since winning all five meetings in 1985-86.

Clippers blast Kings for 8th win in 9 games

By GREG BEACHAM
Posted Apr 08 2012 2:12AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Blake Griffin doesn't care whether DeMarcus Cousins thinks he's just an actor, although Griffin did hear about Cousins' criticism from his acting coach.

Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers have bigger aspirations than answering the Sacramento forward's taunts, although Griffin made sure Cousins remembers where he stands in this California rivalry.

Griffin had 27 points and 14 rebounds, Randy Foye scored 25 points while hitting seven 3-pointers, and the surging Clippers moved within a half-game of the Pacific Division lead with a 109-94 victory over the Kings on Saturday night.

Cousins and Griffin exchanged a perfunctory pregame fist-bump and nothing else after their burgeoning feud commanded national headlines in recent days. Cousins was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Friday for criticizing officials - specifically for the way they call games featuring Griffin, the former No. 1 draft pick and electrifying dunker.

"I mean this in the nicest possible way, you have to consider the source," Griffin said. "If this is somebody that really has been in this league a long time and really knows the ins and outs of the game, and he ... has a great reputation for carrying himself the right way, that's something that I would look at and go, `I really rubbed this guy the wrong way.' But something like that, you just keep going."

After struggling with foul trouble throughout Sacramento's home loss to the Clippers on Thursday night, Cousins said the NBA's 11th-leading scorer and sixth-leading rebounder was an "actor" who should be at home in Hollywood, claiming referees treat the two-time All-Star differently.

Griffin did little acting in the Clippers' eighth win in nine games overall and their second in three days over the Kings, sweeping the season series. He did make another boatload of rim-rocking dunks and an over-the-shoulder circus shot that didn't count, but will live on indefinitely in highlight reels.

"I'm trying to stay low and just sticking to playing basketball," said Cousins, who had 15 points and 20 rebounds. "I'm in enough trouble as it is. ... It's not a (personal) rivalry. We're just playing ball. They're a playoff team and we're not, so it's not much of a rivalry."

Chris Paul had 19 points and 15 assists as the Clippers (34-22) moved right behind the Lakers (35-22), who lost at Phoenix, for the division lead and the No. 3 playoff seed.

Tyreke Evans and Travis Outlaw scored 14 points apiece and Francisco Garcia added 13 for the Kings, who have lost eight of 10.

"For all that people say about Cousins, he did hold his composure and just played basketball," Sacramento coach Keith Smart said. "It's always going to be difficult when you go from your place after dropping one and then go to their place and play on their floor. You've got to play a perfect game, so this is good training and teaching for our guys."

Caron Butler scored 12 points for the Clippers, who never trailed after the opening minutes. While Paul and Griffin had their usual productive games, Foye had another spectacular perimeter performance after tying the franchise record with eight 3-pointers at Dallas last Monday.

"Blake and CP draw a lot of attention, so all you've really got to do is knock down a 3 or go to the basket," Foye said. "They made a couple of runs, but it was important to get this win before we go out on the road again."

After allowing their 14-point lead to dwindle to one late in the third quarter, the Clippers took control with a 20-7 run capped by another visit to Lob City. After Griffin reached well behind his head to grab an alley-oop pass from Eric Bledsoe for a one-handed slam, the 6-foot-1 Bledsoe added his own dunk on a pass off the backboard from Paul.

Bledsoe had eight points and nine assists for the Clippers, who scored 34 points in less than eight minutes in the fourth quarter.

Griffin made one of the most spectacular shots of his highlight-strewn career late in the third quarter when Donte Greene flagrantly fouled him to stop a breakaway chance. Griffin threw the ball backward over his opposite shoulder while spinning facedown to the floor and facing away from the hoop - and the shot went in, but didn't count when the officials huddled and ruled against continuation.

Marcus Thornton, the Kings' leading scorer, missed his third straight game with a bruised left leg. Garcia went to the locker room early in the fourth after staying down on the court for several minutes when Bobby Simmons accidentally clipped him in the head while fighting for a loose ball. Smart got a technical foul for complaining about the collision, but Garcia appeared to be fine after the game.

NOTES: The Clippers' only loss since March 22 was last Wednesday to the Lakers, who hold the head-to-head tiebreaker edge. ... Clippers G Mo Williams sat out his ninth straight game with a bruised toe. His return is expected imminently. ... Kings F Chuck Hayes sat out with the latest in a series of apparent cases of food poisoning for the Kings. "I'm going to start cooking for this team and keep it real simple: plain paste, chicken breasts, and that's it," Smart said.

Notebook: Clippers 109, Kings 94

Posted Sunday April 8, 2012 2:02AM

By Dan Arritt, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Clippers shooting guard Randy Foye continued his red-hot 3-point shooting Saturday night and the Clippers pulled away late in third quarter to defeat the visiting Kings 109-94 at Staples Center, moving within a half game of the Lakers in the Pacific Division.

QUOTABLE: "The credit goes to my teammates. My teammates draw so much attention. Chris [Paul] and Blake [Griffin], they find me and I'm standing there and those are shots I practice all the time, so I better make them."
-- Randy Foye

THE STAT: Six days after tying a franchise record with eight 3-pointers in a 94-75 victory against the Mavericks, Foye shot 7-for-9 from beyond the arc and scored 25 points, sending the Clippers off on a key three-game road trip with their eighth victory in the last nine games.

TURNING POINT: The Kings crawled back from a 14-point second-quarter deficit and cut L.A.'s lead to one on a 3-pointer by Francisco Garcia with 2:41 remaining in the third quarter. Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro called a 20-second timeout and that seemed to do the trick, as L.A. responded with a 10-3 run to finish out the quarter. The Kings never made another run.

HOT: It was a great night for the Clippers backcourt. Paul has neared a triple-double on a couple occasions this season and he nearly earned one the hard way against the Kings, finishing with 19 points, 15 assists and a season-high seven steals. He was at his best in the decisive third quarter, scoring 11 points and dishing out four assists.

NOT: Thanks to Paul and Co., the Kings gave away 32 points off 20 turnovers, both one off their season highs. Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins, who had sharp words for the Clippers, and particularly Griffin following the loss Thursday night in Sacramento, shot 5-for-19 and scored 15 points. He made up for some of his clanks by matching his career high with 20 rebounds. Griffin, by the way, finished with a team-high 27 points on 12-for-15 shooting, a majority coming on dunks, and also pitched in 14 rebounds.

GOOD MOVE: Though it was eventually waived off by the officials, Griffin made the circus shot of the year after he was tackled from behind by Donte Greene with 3:35 left in the third quarter. As he was falling to the floor with his back to the basket, Griffin threw up a blind shot over his shoulder and it swished through the net. The referees huddled, however, and decided the flagrant 1 foul occurred before the shot. Griffin made one of two free throws to stretch the lead to 72-66.

BAD MOVE: Cousins drew two quick fouls on Clippers starting center DeAndre Jordan, one on either end of the floor, plus a technical foul for arguing with an official following the second foul. Jordan took a seat on the bench for the remainder of the half. That seemed to take him out of the game altogether, as he finished with no points for the second time this season, two rebounds and two turnovers in 14 minutes.

QUOTABLE II: "We are fighting for third place, but right now it is more about us, about our approach and about us improving ... the results will take care of themselves."
-- Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro.

NOTABLE: The Sacramento bench outscored the Clipper reserves, 43-26, led by Travis Outlaw with 14 ... The Clippers had 19 assists in the first half, two more than they had for the entire game Thursday in Sacramento. ... Garcia appeared to suffer a head injury 53 seconds into the fourth quarter when he was clipped by Clippers forward Bobby Simmons during a loose ball and did not return. Sacramento's other starting guard, Tyreke Evans, stubbed his right big toe during the third quarter and went to the locker room, but he returned during the fourth quarter. The team's leading scorer, Marcus Thornton, missed his third straight game with a bruised calf ... The Clippers are 12 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2005-06 season.

UP NEXT: For the Clippers, Monday @ Memphis, Wednesday @ Oklahoma City, Thursday @ Minnesota. For the Kings, Sunday vs. Houston, Tuesday @ Dallas, Wednesday @ New Orleans.

• Kings: Salmons
• Clippers: Billups, Leslie

• Kings: Smart
• Clippers: Griffin, Jordan

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #54 Nick Buchert, #42 Eric Lewis
• Attendance: 19060
• Duration: 2:17