It was a defensive battle on Sunday night in the Intuit Dome. The Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers played a game with significant implications for the Western Conference standings.
Los Angeles sat in 8th (34-29), while the Kings (33-29) were half a game behind in 7th. With 20 games remaining, including this one, Sacramento’s improved defense couldn’t have shown up at a more critical time.
In a slugfest that took overtime to conclude, DeMar DeRozan (31 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds) and James Harden (29 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds) had somewhat of a throwback battle late.
Zach LaVine wasn’t far behind, with 30 points, seven rebounds, and two assists on 12/22 shooting, but just 1/7 from deep. Sacramento as a whole went just 9/34 (26.5 percent) from deep, with their defense keeping them competitive until Kawhi Leonard won the game with a tough lefty finish over multiple defenders.
Plenty of positives existed, but the Kings were unable to come out with a highly-impactful win, falling to 0-3 against the Clippers on the season and failing to take advantage of an opportunity to continue climbing the standings.
Kings at Clippers Injury Report
Sacramento
Domantas Sabonis – OUT (left hamstring sprain)
Malik Monk – OUT (right toe sprain)
Jae Crowder – OUT (low back soreness)
LA Clippers
Norman Powell – OUT (right hamstring sprain)
Ben Simmons – OUT (left knee, injury management)
Cam Christie – OUT (G-League)
Patrick Baldwin Jr. – OUT (G-League)
Trentyn Flowers – OUT (G-League)
Sacramento’s Starters: Keon Ellis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis
LA Clippers’s Starters: Kris Dunn, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Nicolas Batum, Ivica Zubac
Kings at Clippers Game Notes
Sacramento interim head coach Doug Christie and his staff elected to have Ellis guard Harden while Murray dealt with Leonard.
Seemingly looking to get Murray rolling early, their first play of the game ended with the third-year forward converting from distance. He took another shot the next time down the floor but failed to convert.
It’s usually a good sign for the Kings when Murray has an aggressive mindset rather than relying on their other creators.
With both sides’ defenses – Sacramento’s significant growth coming post-ASB – it was a slugfest early. Physicality was on full display, and the officiating crew got an earful.
The Kings let it fly from three early with minimal success, starting the contest 2/9. Jake LaRavia and Trey Lyles checked in at 4:25 while their side held a 15-14 lead. DeRozan and Valanciunas took a seat.
With Lyles at center while the Zubac remained on the floor, Sacramento had grown familiar with the small-ball look throughout the last few seasons. But now, LaRavia and Murray add to the forward size and defensive versatility.
LaVine embraced his role with that unit and started to find a rhythm himself. He rallied nine points on 4/6 shooting in the first quarter, giving the Kings a three-point lead (23-20). Ellis and Valanciunas each had picked up a pair of personal fouls
Markelle Fultz came into the game at the start of the second, but his run was cut short in favor of rookie guard Devin Carter.
The rookie showed off his 42-inch athleticism (tying what Malik Monk recorded at his combine) with an impressive putback slam before knocking down a contested catch-and-shoot triple shortly after.
DEVIN CARTER PUTBACK pic.twitter.com/cMO6UDGx5t
— Skyler (KFR) (@SacFilmRoom) March 10, 2025
But the Clippers found success getting out in transition and attacking the rim in the halfcourt. The home squad recorded 22 points in the paint and nine transition points in the second quarter alone.
Getting lost in their fast break defensive pickups, Batum knocked down a trailing three to give Los Angeles a 47-45 lead with 2:45 until halftime.
Christie’s squad regained a narrow 51-49 advantage at halftime, holding their opponents to 4/13 from three.
LaVine had 13 points on 7/27 shooting but had not yet converted from three. DeRozan distributed, with nine points and a game-high six assists.
It was more of the same as the second half began, as physicality remained prominent. But as Sacramento’s off-the-bounce scoring duo of LaVine and DeRozan attacked mismatches with mixed success, the Clippers couldn’t buy a bucket.
With zero made baskets for more than four minutes, Sacramento put together a 64-53 lead.
LaVine (21), DeRozan (13), and Murray (10) were the double-digit scorers for the Kings, leading by three (75-72) with 12 minutes remaining on the clock.
Isolation buckets had already been most of their offense throughout the night, but that playstyle was amplified in the final frame.
The Clippers upped their defensive pressure, beginning to pick up from full court. Jones Jr. getting a foul right after an inbound was a prime example of their press.
Back-to-back buckets isolation buckets from DeRozan, attacking Harden in switches, caused Brian Shaw to call a timeout, 90-85 Kings.
DeRozan attacked the same matchup not long after but quickly ran into Zubac. The veteran faked a pass through the big man’s legs before finding Murray in the opposite corner with a gorgeous skip pass.
Murray knocked down the triple and turned to the Clippers’ bench – not something you often see from the stoic player.
I think DeMar DeRozan just fake-passed through Zubac’s legs??
And Keegan turned back to look at the Clippers bench! pic.twitter.com/QgEAYjZE4Q
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) March 10, 2025
Known for his clutch performances, DeRozan embraced the moment with eight points in the fourth right after Harden tied the game at 97-97 with a layup.
LaVine, who had 27 points on 11/20 shooting up to that point, would do it all himself. With Dunn guarding him, the Sacramento guard eventually got a clean look but barely failed to convert.
That led to overtime in the brand-new Intuit Dome. All 10 starters were on the floor to start extra time.
That close for Zach LaVine on the attempted game-winner. Going to OT pic.twitter.com/AGMHNauNsJ
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) March 10, 2025
Fouls and replay reviews slowed the game down. Harden’s stepback triple revived the building, 102-99 Clippers.
Right when the tides seemed to turn against them, LaVine took his score count to 30 with a triple.
DeRozan intelligently earned his way to the line, with a pair of free throws making it a 107-106 game with just over a minute remaining- Clippers lead.
With Harden rolling and Ellis guarding him, coach Christie replaced the defensive guard with LaRavia.
Tough buckets were the name of the game, as two of the league’s all-time scorers continue to battle back and forth.
DeRozan bailed his side out of an ugly possession by knocking down a long two (foot on the line), 108-107 Kings. However, the scoreboard had an error, randomly resetting to 14 seconds midway through the possession.
Upon review, it was determined that the bucket would have been made in time even without the malfunction.
LaRavia didn’t fare much better against Harden, who consistently found ways to get downhill to his left.
Down 110-109 with the shot clock turned off, Leonard stared down Murray at the top of the three. Starting his attack with about six seconds left, Murray cut off his drive, forcing the elite two-way player to his weak hand.
As great players tend to do, Leonard adjusted and knocked down a ridiculous left-handed push shot over Valanciunas, Murray, and what felt like two other Sacramento players.
Kawhi Leonard wins it with a lefty push shot at the buzzer!
Kings lose 111-110 in OT after a hard fought defensive battle. pic.twitter.com/eDDxcDeM95
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) March 10, 2025
DeRozan scored 10 of the Kings’ 13 overtime points, ending the night with a game-high 31 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, and one steal on 9/20 FG. He was just 1/7 from deep, but didn’t miss in his 12 free-throw attempts.
His familiar scoring partner, LaVine, tallied 30 points, seven rebounds, and two assists on 12/22 from the field, but similarly struggled from three (1/7). Sacramento ended the night just 9/34 (26.5 percent) from three, while the Clippers went 10/31 (32.3 percent).
Leonard hit the game-clencher, but Harden (29 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds) and Zubac (22 points, 14 rebounds, three assists) sat atop the scoring tally at the game’s conclusion.
Falling to 0-3 against a division matchup, while rubbing shoulders in the conference standings, is an unideal spot to be in for Sacramento. But, they shouldn’t feel bad about their performance on Monday night, where they continued to maintain their recent defensive rise.
The New York Knicks are already waiting in Sacramento, where they’ll face off against the Kings tomorrow night (Monday) in Golden 1 Center. Tipoff is at 7:30 PM.
Upcoming schedule for the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings
Monday, March 10th – vs. New York Knicks – 7:30 PM PT
Thursday, March 13th – @ Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, March 14th – @ Phoenix Suns – 7:00 PM PT
Monday, March 17th – vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 7:00 PM PT
Wednesday, March 19th – vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:0 PM PT
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