Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard erupted for a career-high 55 points in Sunday’s win over the Detroit Pistons.
Leonard looked like he was locked and loaded for another memorable performance in Tuesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings, but this one was over by halftime.
Leonard scored 26 of his 33 points in the first half to help the Clippers roll to a 131-90 victory over the Kings before a sellout crowd of 17,979 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
The Kings committed 19 turnovers and only forced four. The Clippers amassed a huge 28-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
James Harden scored 21 points for the Clippers (11-21), who have won five in a row. John Collins and Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 16.
Rookie first-round draft pick Nique Clifford scored a career-high 18 points to lead the Kings (8-25). Rookie center Maxime Raynaud recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Russell Westbrook also scored 12 points. Keegan Murray and Dennis Schroder both finished with 11 points.
The Kings welcomed two players back from the injured list. Murray was back in the starting lineup after missing two games with a right calf strain. Backup center Drew Eubanks returned after missing seven games due to an avulsion fracture in his left thumb.
With Eubanks returning, undrafted rookie two-way center Dylan Cardwell was reassigned to the G League Stockton Kings. Before the game, coach Doug Christie admitted the Kings would miss the presence of Cardwell, who averaged 5.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.2 steals over the past six games.
“Love Dylan,” Christie said. “It’s a tough one. The kid brings an incredible motor protecting the rim. There’s an energy and an enthusiasm and a joy that he plays with that I absolutely love.”
Halftime report
The Kings got off to a slow start. They trailed 17-10 after going 3 of 12 from the field and 0 of 3 from 3-point range to start the game.
The Clippers led 34-20 at the end of the first quarter. They shot 50% from the field in the opening period while holding the Kings to 30% shooting.
Los Angeles stretched its lead to 18 early in the second quarter. The Clippers went up by 33 points after crushing the Kings with a 19-2 run over a span of 3:01. They led by as many as 36 in the opening half and carried a 73-40 lead into the halftime break.
Leonard led all scorers with 26 points, going 8 of 13 from the field and 4 of 5 from long distance.
The Clippers shot 53.3% from the field and went 9 of 21 (.429) from 3-point range in the first half. The Kings shot 31.8% while going 4 of 13 (.308) from beyond the arc.
Second-half summary
Clifford made two 3-pointers as part of an 8-0 run as the Kings cut the deficit to 28 late in the third quarter. That was probably the highlight of the game for Sacramento.
The Clippers led 100-71 at the end of the third period. They went up by as many as 43 points in the fourth quarter.
Up next
The Kings will return to Sacramento to take on the Boston Celtics on Thursday at Golden 1 Center.
The Celtics (20-12) are nearing the end of a five-game road trip after beating the Utah Jazz 129-119 on Tuesday. They are led by Jaylen Brown, who has emerged as an MVP candidate this season while averaging 29.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists.