Clippers 112, Kings 108: Chris Paul had 25 points and 11 assists while Jamal Crawford scored 24 points as visiting Los Angeles held on in what may have been the last NBA game played in Sacramento.
Chauncey Billups recorded 17 points and DeAndre Jordan added eight and 10 rebounds for the Pacific Division champion Clippers, who finished the regular season with seven straight victories and will have home-court advantage in their first-round playoff series against Memphis.
DeMarcus Cousins scored a game-high 36 points and pulled down 22 rebounds, Marcus Thornton scored 21 points and Isaiah Thomas chipped in 15 and 10 assists for the Kings, who wrapped up what could be their final season in Sacramento with a four-game losing streak. The Maloof family agreed to sell controlling interest of the team to a group from Seattle, but the deal has yet to be approved by the league's Board of Governors.
Los Angeles led by one after the first quarter despite a 12-point effort by Cousins and overcame Travis Outlaw's 11-point performance in the second to carry a 54-46 advantage into the break. The Clippers maintained the eight-point lead as the teams played even in the third, but Patrick Patterson hit a jump shot with 9:20 remaining in the fourth to pull Sacramento within 83-79.
The Clippers pushed the lead back to eight on a driving layup by Matt Barnes with 7:09 to play before a jumper by Cousins and a 3-pointer by Thornton got the Kings within 91-88 with 6:28 left. Patterson hit a shot from beyond the arc with 2:31 remaining to give Sacramento a 98-97 lead, but Crawford followed with back-to-back 3-pointers and Los Angeles never looked back.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Los Angeles shot 50 percent (12-for-24) from beyond the arc, with Crawford making 6-of-8 shots. Sacramento was just 9-for-26 from 3-point range. ... Sacramento's Tyreke Evans missed the game with a left knee injury. ... The Kings lost eight of their final nine contests.
L.A. Clippers | Sacramento | |
Chris Paul 25 | Scoring | DeMarcus Cousins 36 |
Chris Paul 11 | Assists | Isaiah Thomas 10 |
DeAndre Jordan 10 | Rebounds | DeMarcus Cousins 22 |
Chauncey Billups 4 | Free Throws Made | DeMarcus Cousins 8 |
Jamal Crawford 2 | Steals | Isaiah Thomas 2 |
DeAndre Jordan 2 | Blocks | DeMarcus Cousins 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
L.A. Clippers | 112 | 50.0 | 12-24 | 12-18 | 25 | 44 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
Sacramento | 108 | 44.9 | 9-26 | 19-25 | 23 | 44 | 4 | 5 | 11 |