Kings-Clippers Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Dec 01 2012 2:07AM

Blake Griffin has dominated DeMarcus Cousins in their matchups, powering a season sweep by the Los Angeles Clippers last season.

The power forwards meet for the first time this season Saturday night when Griffin and the Clippers try to drop Cousins' Kings to 0-6 on the road.

Los Angeles (9-6) is 6-1 against Sacramento (4-11) over the last two seasons since Cousins came into the league. Griffin is averaging 20.6 points on 60.2 percent shooting to go with 12.0 rebounds per game in those meetings while Cousins is averaging 11.0 points, 9.0 boards and shooting 35.7 percent.

Cousins' scoring average against the Clippers is his worst against any Western Conference foe. He grew so frustrated after fouling out in 18 minutes in a 93-85 home loss to Los Angeles on April 5 that he called Griffin an "actor." Two days later, Griffin had 27 points and 14 rebounds in a 109-94 home win over Sacramento.

The Clippers went 3-0 against the Kings in 2011-12.

While the duel inside could prove decisive, Los Angeles figures to have an advantage on the perimeter if Sacramento guard Tyreke Evans misses a second straight game.

Evans sat out Friday due to a bruised left knee in a 97-92 home defeat to Indiana. He is averaging a career-low 14.9 points, but had netted 21.0 per game over his last five outings.

His absence could make it easier for Chris Paul, who had 23 points and 11 assists in Wednesday's 101-95 home win over Minnesota. The Clippers ended a season-high four-game losing streak.

The game marked the season debut for Chauncey Billups, who started and had seven points and three assists in 19 minutes in his first action since Feb. 6 after recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon.

"Now that I'm back, I look forward to regaining my old form," he told the Clippers' official website. "And I'm going to be very patient with that. Just me being back is a success and a blessing, so I'm going to be happy with that until everything else kind of comes around."

Clippers leading scorer Jamal Crawford is only averaging 11.5 points on 32.5 percent shooting in his last four games.

"I find myself in the corner just waiting on the action, when I have to go make the action happen," Crawford said. "That's who I am and that's what I'll get back to doing.

Griffin had 18 points and six boards Wednesday as he bounced back from a season-low, four-point effort two nights earlier against New Orleans.

Cousins, meanwhile, had 19 points and 16 rebounds Friday for his first double-double in six games. The big man, however, struggled to make 5 of 17 shots, and is shooting 42.0 percent on the season.

"Yes, he forced too many shots tonight," Kings coach Keith Smart said of Cousins. "He needs to start taking those shots that are available."

The Kings are one game worse than their record after 15 games last season and enduring their worst road start since going 0-9 to begin 2007-08.

"I just knew our team could be better and much further along than where we are right now," Smart said. "I am very disappointed."

Clippers manhandle Kings 116-81

By JOE RESNICK
Posted Dec 02 2012 2:13AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Jamal Crawford isn't the only player who can provide offense and leadership off coach Vinny Del Negro's bench.

Matt Barnes and Eric Bledsoe were equally instrumental in leading the Los Angeles Clippers to their most lopsided victory over the Sacramento Kings franchise, while allowing all of the starters sit out the fourth quarter.

Crawford, Bledsoe and Barnes combined for 43 points, leading seven Clippers in double-digit scoring en route to a 116-81 blowout on Saturday night. Blake Griffin had 14 points and nine rebounds, Chris Paul had 14 points and five assists, and DeAndre Jordan had 13 points and six boards as they beat Sacramento for the fourth straight time.

"The goal of a bench is to increase the lead, or get the lead back," said Barnes, who made his first five shots - including a pair of 3-pointers - and finished with 12 points.

"It's something that's got to be done. You never want to give the lead up, and I think we did a good job of that tonight. It's a long season, and it's important to get the production out of your starters and your bench. That's an effective way to go far in the playoffs."

Chauncey Billups scored only six points in his second game since recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon that sidelined him for the final 38 games of last season and the first 14 this season. But the Clippers outscored Sacramento 41-22 while he was in the game. They finished with only five turnovers - while converting 17 turnovers by the Kings into 27 points.

"We just made the right plays," Paul said. "We didn't wait. When double-teams came, guys didn't hold onto the ball. When you make the right play and make the right passes, turnovers are limited. We got out in transition and just executed. The ball moved and everybody touched the ball. We're pretty dangerous when that happens."

Marcus Thornton scored 20 points for the Kings, and Jason Thompson had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Tyreke Evans missed his second straight contest with a bruised left knee.

"It was very frustrating," Thompson said. "They were pretty much getting anything they wanted on the offensive end, and we obviously didn't make it better by not scoring in the beginning. We got ourselves into a hole that we couldn't get out of. You know the focal points over there, the guys who are going to get most of the touches, and you try to limit that. But most of their guys couldn't miss a shot."

DeMarcus Cousins finished with eight points and six rebounds in just 18 minutes after sitting out the entire second and fourth quarters. The Kings are 1-7 in head-to-head matchups between Cousins and Griffin. In the seven previous meetings, Griffin averaged 20.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and was shooting 60.2 percent from the field while Cousins averaged 11.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 35.7 percent shooting.

Sacramento is 0-6 on the road - the club's worst start since 2007-08, when the Kings lost their first nine to tie a franchise record. The league's only other winless road team is Washington (0-7).

"We didn't really come out with any energy. And it showed," Cousins said. "We got off to a slow start. They came out to play and we didn't come ready to play."

Los Angeles led 58-34 at halftime - with no one scoring in double digits. The bench had 25 points in the half, including nine by Barnes.

The Clippers opened the game with a 17-6 run, led by Jordan's six points and four rebounds. Paul went to the bench after picking up his second foul with 5:15 left in the first quarter, but Bledsoe and the rest of the reserves held Sacramento in check - building the lead up to 46-24 by the time Paul reported back in with 6:25 left in the half. Bledsoe had 14 points and four assists.

"We have so much confidence in Eric Bledsoe," Barnes said. "Chris is one of the best, but Bled is on his way to being one of the best. So there's no real dropoff with the intensity out there."

Sacramento coach Keith Smart was well aware of the Clippers' depth. Four of the reserves played more than 20 minutes, including Lamar Odom, who had six points, five rebounds and five assists.

"They've got a lot of guys over there that can make up a lot of ground," Smart said. "So even if a guy gets two fouls early, like in Chris Paul's case, you have really three other point guards over there that can play and cover for him - guys who have been starters in this league.

"I mean, Jamal Crawford can carry a team by himself. Bledsoe's been playing very, very well, and he's being taught the right way by a collection of really top-line players over there. And then you've got Billups."

Del Negro sat his entire starting unit to begin the second quarter. Crawford, who had 17 points, gave the Clippers a 37-21 lead on a 3-pointer with 9:33 left in the half. It was his first basket of the game after starting out 0 for 4.

NOTES: A moment of silence was observed for Clippers public address announcer David Courtney, who died Thursday of a pulmonary embolism at age 56. Staples Center's game-night crew put together a photo montage in his memory and showed it on the video board, and a tape of Courtney's voice was used to introduce the Clippers' starting lineup one final time. ... Courtney also handled the p.a. duties for the Angels and the reigning NHL champion Kings, but was denied a chance to preside over the raising of the Stanley Cup banner to the Staples Center rafters because of hockey's lockout. ... Eric Smith, the Dodgers' p.a. announcer, has returned to his old job at the Clippers' courtside table for the rest of the season. ... Sacramento is 0-12 when trailing after three quarters. The Clippers are 8-0 when taking a lead into the fourth.

Notebook: Clippers 116, Kings 81

Dan Arritt, For NBA.com
Posted Sun Dec 02, 2012 1:55 AM - Updated Sun Dec 02, 2012 1:55 AM

THE FACTS: Seven players scored in double figures for the Clippers and the reserves matched the starters with a season-best 58 points, leading the way in the 116-81 victory Saturday night against the visiting Kings at Staples Center.

THE STAT: After averaging 28.1 points in three straight losses between Nov. 23-26, the bench for the Clippers (10-6) is back to filling up the score sheet. Led by a team-high 17 points from Jamal Crawford, 14 from Eric Bledsoe and 12 from Matt Barnes, the reserves helped put the game away in the second quarter, giving them the opportunity to play the entire fourth. L.A.'s bench came into the game averaging 38.9 points, sixth-best in the NBA.

QUOTABLE: "Bled was very active, Jamal [Crawford] was consistent. I thought Ronny [Turiaf] gave us some good minutes. The starters got us off to that good start and everyone fed off of that."

-- Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro

TURNING POINT: Playing without starting guard Tyreke Evans (bruised left knee), the team's second-leading scorer, the Kings (4-12) were in trouble right from the start. They scored the first basket of the second quarter to cut the deficit to nine, but Barnes, Bledsoe, Crawford and Turiaf combined to score all the points in a 16-5 run that put Sacramento down by 22 points with 6:30 still remaining in the first half. The Kings never got closer than 17 the rest of the way.

HOT: Crawford has scored in double figures in 23 consecutive games dating back to last season. He has at least one 3-pointer in the last 17 games. As for the Kings, Marcus Thornton stepped into the starting lineup for Evans and tied a career high with six 3-pointers.on nine attempts. He finished with a team-high 20 points.

NOT: Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins seems to be quickly falling out of favor with coach Keith Smart. He played a season-low 18 minutes, sitting out the entire second quarter even though he had just one foul. The team's leading scorer coming in (16.6) finished with eight points on 3-for-9 shooting, putting him at 17-for-48 (35.4 percent) over the last three games.

QUOTABLE II: "I just didn't like what was going on out on the floor, so I decided to go in a different direction. By the time I was ready to put [Cousins] back in, the game was already out of control."

-- Keith Smart

GOOD MOVE: Getting veteran guard Chauncey Billups back in the starting lineup is quickly paying dividends. Billups, who was out for nine months after tearing his Achilles tendon last February, was the only starter who didn't score in double figures. He finished with six points, but his presence seems to be working in other ways. In the two games since he has returned, the Clippers have combined for just 15 turnovers. The five they had against the Kings was their lowest total since 2008. The Kings scored just two points off those turnovers, compared to the 27 the Clippers scored off 17 giveaways by Sacramento.

QUOTABLE III: "You can see the leadership and demeanor that Chauncey [Billups] brings. You can just see it out there."

-- Vinny Del Negro

BAD MOVE: Clippers guard Willie Green, who started the first 14 games while Billups was on the mend, was the only player for L.A. who didn't get into the game despite chants of "Willie, Willie" from the crowd in the final minutes.

NOTABLE: The Clippers held a moment of silence for the team's public-address announcer, David Courtney, who died Thursday at age 56. The starters for L.A. were also introduced via a recording of Courtney's voice from an earlier game. Eric Smith, the PA announcer for the Dodgers, took Courtney's seat. ... The Clippers are 8-0 this season when their opponent shoots 43 percent or less from the field. ... Clippers reserve forward Lamar Odom scored a season-high six points to go along with five rebounds and five assists. ... The victory against the Kings was the largest for the starting five of Billups, Caron Butler, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan.

UP NEXT: For the Clippers, Monday @ Utah, Wednesday vs. Dallas, Saturday vs. Phoenix. For the Kings, Wednesday vs. Toronto, Friday vs. Orlando, Saturday @ Portland.

• Kings: Honeycutt
• Clippers: Hill, Thompkins

• Kings: --
• Clippers: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #42 Eric Lewis, #52 Scott Twardoski
• Attendance: 19060
• Duration: 1:58