Tyreke Evans had 28 points, six rebounds and seven assists to help the Sacramento Kings snap an eight-game losing streak with a 116-94 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.
After the Clippers cut Sacramento's 16-point halftime to eight after three quarters, the Kings came out with a 16-2 to run to start the fourth in pushing their lead to 100-78. It was the first time in nine games that the Kings topped 100 points.
Chris Kaman scored 23 points for the Clippers, who have lost seven straight and are 3-19 since Feb. 24. Eric Gordon had 21 points, Drew Gooden scored 17 and Baron Davis had 11 points and 10 assists.
Jason Thompson had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Kings, who outscored the Clippers 32-18 in the fourth quarter. Carl Landry added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Francisco Garcia and Beno Udrih scored 12 points each.
Evans is trying to become the fourth NBA player to average 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in their rookie season. The other three are Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
Evans is already assured of averaging more than five rebounds and five assists per game. He needs 51 points in his final three games to average 20 points.
While Evans, a leading candidate for NBA Rookie of the Year, has been a bright spot all season for the Kings, the Clippers have dealt with not having top draft pick Blake Griffin for even one game. A stress fracture in his left knee has sidelined Griffin all season.
The Clippers finished with a road record of 8-33 this season and have just three wins outside of Los Angeles since Dec. 19. Interim coach Kim Hughes has a 6-23 record since taking over from Mike Dunleavy on Feb. 6.
Trailing by 16 points at the half, the Clippers came out with some energy in the third quarter behind the inside play of Kaman. He made six of seven shots and scored 13 points to help the Clippers cut the Sacramento lead to 84-76 heading into the fourth.
With the Clippers seemingly uninterested in playing defense during the first half, Evans was regularly penetrating for layups, hitting open jumpers or finding teammates. He had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists in helping the Kings to a 63-47 lead.
No comments:
Post a Comment