Behind James Harden’s triple-double and Kawhi Leonard’s 20-point first half, the Los Angeles Clippers extended their season-best winning streak to seven games with a 101-100 defeat of the host Sacramento Kings on Friday.
Harden earned his third triple-double of the season in a closing stretch, grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds. The Clippers (49-32) were unable to convert a score from Harden’s boards, but with Norman Powell adding another offensive rebound, Los Angeles chewed up more than 40 critical seconds.
The time-consuming sequence and a free throw from Harden — who finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists — helped the Clippers hold off a furious, late-game rally by Sacramento (39-42), fueled by Zach LaVine’s torrid finish.
LaVine scored 10 of his team-high 26 points in the final 3:39, including knocking down a pair of 3-pointers, to lead the Kings on a game-ending 12-4 run.
The spurt nearly became a game-winning run when a Harden turnover in the closing seconds gave Sacramento a look at the final shot, but DeMar DeRozan’s 3-point attempt was no good. Los Angeles held on despite almost squandering a lead it held through the second half.
Leonard capped his outstanding first half with a last-second 3-pointer, sending Los Angeles into halftime on an 11-3 run. Leonard continued the pivotal spurt immediately after intermission, as the Clippers scored the half’s first six points to extend the run to 17-3.
Despite holding the lead throughout the second half, the Clippers never led by more than 10 points. The Kings remained in striking distance between Domantas Sabonis’ 19-point, 16-rebound double-double, and DeRozan’s 16 points.
The Clippers countered with a game-high 28 points for Leonard, 16 points from Powell, and a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double from Ivica Zubac. Derrick Jones Jr. added 11 points off the bench.
With the win, Los Angeles completed a four-game season sweep of the Kings. The Clippers also remain in contention for a top-four seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
With one game remaining, the Clippers are tied with the Denver Nuggets for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and one game ahead of Golden State and Minnesota. The Clippers close out the regular on Sunday visiting the Warriors.
–Field Level Media
