The Clippers beat Sacramento 121-96 without trailing, led by as many as 28 and got 50 points from the bench. Darius Garland scored 30, but Derrick Jones Jr. and Brook Lopez had the best plus-minus, each at +18.
The game was decided in the third quarter, not the first.
An 8-0 burst broke a 3-3 tie early, and the Clippers finished the first quarter up 41-29. Then they lost the second 25-20, and the lead was 61-54 at the half. Tyronn Lue called timeout 35 seconds into the third with his team up 61-56, and the answer was a 10-0 run to 71-56. A late 8-0 push made it 93-70 after three, and the quarter ended 32-16. Sacramento's 10-0 run in the fourth started at 110-83 and changed nothing.
Garland and Lopez earned top marks, and Hachimura did not.
Garland: A-minus. He scored 30 on 11-of-19 shooting, made 3 of 8 threes and finished +15 in 32 minutes. Three turnovers were the only flaw. Lopez: A. He had 17 points and 11 rebounds on 7-of-12 off the bench at age 38, and he was still in the lineup that played the last five minutes. Hachimura: C. He scored 10 on 3-of-13, went 2 of 7 from three and turned it over three times. His eight rebounds and +13 kept the grade from being worse. Keaton Wagler, 19 and in his first season, added 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals with one turnover. Clipperholics wrote that the debut showed why the Clippers drafted him.
The plus-minus pointed to Jones Jr., not just the scorers.
Jones Jr. scored only 8 points on 3-of-4, but he added six rebounds and five assists and tied Lopez for the best mark at +18 in 26 minutes. The lowest marks went to bench players who scored well. Gradey Dick had 12 points on 3-of-4 and was +3 in 19 minutes. Isaiah Jackson had 13 on 6-of-8 and was +5 in 15. Baba Miller was +4 in 9 minutes. The starters scored 68. Lopez, Dick, Wagler, Kris Dunn and Hachimura played the final five minutes, which says the second unit is being trusted already.
The bench's 50 points matter more because of the next two weeks.
Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Max Strus and Yanic Konan Niederhauser are all listed out with no return before November 8, and Jordan Miller is out until March 2. Next is a trip to the 1-0 Lakers on October 23, then a game at Oklahoma City on October 25 and the Lakers again at home on October 28. JJ Redick's team lists Collin Sexton (calf), Adou Thiero (knee) and Cameron Carr (oblique) as Day-To-Day. A 1-0 start puts the Clippers second in the West, but until the injured players return, the depth from this game has to hold up.
Who led the Clippers in scoring against the Kings?
Darius Garland scored 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting in 32 minutes. Brook Lopez was next with 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
When do the Clippers play the Lakers?
They play at the Lakers on October 23 and host them on October 28. Ingram, Beal, Strus, Konan Niederhauser and Jordan Miller are all listed out.
