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Sacramento Kings

Kings vs. Clippers Preview – By the Numbers

By espn1320 Mar 03, 2023

After what feels like the longest 2-days off in history, the Kings are back in action to host the Clippers for a much anticipated rematch. While the Kings are riding the high of a 4-game winning streak, including the 176-175 win over the Clippers, Los Angeles has dropped 4 in a row and is looking to get back in the win column for the first time after the All-Star break. Let’s see what the Kings can do to keep that from happening.

Score 176 Points. End of Article.

Ok, fine, maybe that’s not a realistic goal every time we play the Clippers, but the Kings should have an easier time with Kawhi Leonard sitting out tonight. Kawhi had some game changing defense in the last matchup against Sacramento, showing he isn’t just in an offensive groove, but can lock up on defense with the best of them still. This will be the first time the new look Clippers will be playing without Kawhi, but on the season they are 10-17 (.370).

Part of where the Clippers have struggle in the recent stretch of games is defending the paint. In their last 4 games, opponents have averaged 62.5 Points in the Paint on 79.1% shooting in the Restricted-Area. Prior to the All-Star break, Los Angeles was holding opponents to just 66.1% shooting at the rim. When I was previewing the last Kings and Clippers game, I struggled to find a weakness in the Clippers defense, but if they are going to open up things inside, the Kings should take advantage of a new found weak spot.

What definitely isn’t a weak spot for the Clippers is the corner 3. In last week’s matchup against the Kings, they shot 13-of-21 (61.9%) on Corner 3’s, and on the season are shooting 40.4% on the season, 7th highest in the NBA. A lot of those looks last game against Sacramento were a result of the Kings doubling Kawhi, which obviously won’t be happening tonight, but the Kings should try and limit the Clippers, especially Batum, on the corner looks as much as possible.

A lot of people were hoping that the Kings 3-point shooting would come around after some days off during the All-Star break, and that’s been exactly what happened. In their last 4 games, the Kings have shot 65-of-160 (40.6%) from beyond the arc. The exciting part is that it’s not just 1 or 2 players hitting from deep. In the last 4 games: Malik Monk: 12-of-23 (52.2%). Terence Davis: 8-of-17 (47.1%). Davion Mitchell: 6-of-13 (46.2%). Harrison Barnes: 7-of-16 (43.8%). De’Aaron Fox: 7-of-17 (41.2%). Keegan Murray 10-of-25 (40.0%).

To have 6 different players shoot over 40% from 3 for a 4-game stretch is not a luxury a lot of teams have. The Kings don’t rely on getting hot from beyond the arc to win, but when they do, it definitely helps. If they can sustain anything near that for the final stretch of the season, they should be in great shape. Someone missing from that list though is Kevin Huerter, who still is in a bit of a slump. Since the break, he’s shooting 30.4%. To me, it’s encouraging that the Kings have been able to win through Huerter’s slump, because it gives them even more room to grow and get better.

The Kings have so much talent on this team that they don’t have to all be hitting at the same time. When they do, we get games like the Brooklyn blowout and the 176 Points, but they have the ability to rely on the hot hand every night, with the odds of at least a handful of players having on nights every single night. Oh what a time we live in now Kings fans.

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