Blake Griffin leads Los Angeles Clippers past Sacramento Kings
Blake Griffin posted another double-double performance, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to an emphatic 100-82 victory over the struggling Sacramento Kings on Thursday 25 November at the
Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Griffin, who is averaging 19.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game this season, scored 25 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds, helping the Clippers notch their first winning streak this
season after surprising New Orleans Hornets, 99-95, on Monday 22 November.
“He's one of the bright young talents to come into this league, and I think he's going to have a great career,” Kings head coach Paul Westphal said after the game. “He's a scary athlete and
he's quite an imposing physical presence. He's got a work ethic, and there's very few holes in his game. It starts with his tremendous explosiveness. He is not only strong but he is quick, and he's got size to go with all those things. He's also relentless,
and that's a skill, too.”
Eric Gordon also had a share of the spotlight as the 21-year-old guard torched the Kings with his 28 points on 8-for-17 shooting to go with six assists for the Clippers, who struggled in
the first four minutes of the game, but recovered quickly and never trailed again.
Sacramento got off to a hot start as they quickly took an 11-4 advantage in the first four minutes of the game, but Gordon, Griffin, and Al-Farouq Aminu started to wax hot, combining for
24 points, giving the Clippers a 30-25 lead at the end of the first period. The Clippers continued to roll in the next three quarters en route to their third win of the season.
“I was really proud of the way we played, except for the first three or four minutes when we were down early and just kind of played sluggish,” said Griffin, who also dished out five assists
and shot 11-for-15 from the free-throw line. “Vinny got into us at that point, which we needed because we weren't playing like we should have. After that, we came back and played the way we wanted to.”
Carl Landry led the Kings with his 18 points and six rebounds, while Luther Head added 15 points and seven assists, but their efforts were not enough as they dropped their record to four
wins and 10 losses. Tyreke Evans, on the other hand, continues to struggle from the field, finishing the game with only eight points on 2-for-13 shooting.
“Tyreke is not used to this prolonged period of lack of production, and I'm sure that it bothers him,” said Westphal on Evans. “He's too good of a player to shoot 2-for-13 from the field.
We know that he's had ankle problems, but he says that he's OK. He's just not finishing plays and he's not making the decisions that he needs to make.”
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