The NBA Cup encounter between the Clippers and Sacramento Kings heightened both teams’ awareness even with this being an early-season game.
Both teams had lost their first Cup game and were in need of a victory to stay relevant during the in-season tournament.
For the Clippers, the Cup game gave them another chance to improve their sloppy play when it came to taking care of the basketball and to keep taking steps in the right direction.
And the game allowed the Clippers to once again show how mighty they are on defense, which they did in slowing down the high-scoring Kings during a 104-88 win Friday night at Intuit Dome.
The Clippers were 1-3 last season in Cup play, but by winning their fourth consecutive game, they improved to 1-1 in the NBA Cup group play.
“All games are meaningful for us,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Playing for the Cup and having a chance to go to Vegas to play for the big money is always intriguing as well. But we got to play the same way every night, whether it’s the Cup, whatever we are doing, being shorthanded.”
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The Kings average 116.9 points per game, seventh best in the NBA, and shoot 48.9% percent from the field, third best. De’Aaron Fox averages 28.8 points per game, the sixth-best in the league.
From the start, the Clippers put the clamps on Sacramento.
L.A. held Sacramento to 12 points and 19% shooting in the first quarter, 11.9% (one for nine) from three-point range. For the game, the Kings shot 38.6% from the field and 20% from three-point range.
Fox made his first shot on his sixth attempt. He finished the game with 29 points, but that wasn’t enough to overwhelm the Clippers.
They opened a 14-point lead at the end of the first quarter that grew to 25 in the second quarter.
The Clippers helped their cause by taking care of the basketball and by getting 22 points and nine assists from James Harden and a double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds from Ivica Zubac.
Yes, NBA players make a lot of money, but the $514,970 prize money that goes to each member of the winning team in the NBA Cup has some meaning. It doesn’t hurt that the championship game is played in Las Vegas on Dec. 17.
“Yeah, I mean, you’re competing to get the opportunity to go to Vegas and compete for a Cup and winning one of the prizes,” Harden said. “For us, I think it was just … we didn’t play well the last Cup game we had [at Houston]. So, we wanted to come out and protect home court and we did that.”
The Clippers had 25 turnovers in their win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. On the season, the Clippers average 15.8 turnovers per game, fifth most in the NBA.
So, Lue was asked, when he shows his group film of their miscues, what do they say to him?
“My bad,” Lue said.
Then, what do you say?
“I say it’s a bad pass,” Lue said. “And then they say, ‘Facts!’ So, I mean, they understand it. They see it. Just got to keep showing them, keep talking about it, because our margin for error is so slim. We just got to take care of the basketball.”
At least for this game, lesson was learned.
The Clippers had zero turnovers in the first quarter. They didn’t commit their first turnover until there was nine minutes and 22 seconds left in the second quarter, and that was on an offensive foul called against center Mo Bamba.
By the half, the Clippers had turned the ball over just three times and had only 12 in the game.
Etc.
Lue said that Norman Powell, who missed his second straight game because of a strained left hamstring, will join the team for the four-game trip that starts next week. “He’s progressing,” Lue said. “He’s progressing, he’s getting better [and] he’s going to go on the trip.” When asked if Kawhi Leonard, out because of right knee inflammation, would go on the trip, Lue said, “No, sir.” … Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is managing swelling in his left knee and will miss a second consecutive game Sunday against the Clippers.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.