Tisdale Gets 27, Sacramento Finishes Clippers, 104-89

Wayman Tisdale scored 27 points as the Sacramento Kings won their seventh straight home game Saturday night, defeating the Clippers, 104-89.

Brad Lohaus scored 22 points and Danny Ainge 18 for the Kings.

Charles Smith scored 16 of his 22 points in the third quarter to lead the Clippers, who finished with a 21-61 record. Ken Bannister got 11 of his 16 points in the final period.

Jim Petersen scored the Kings’ first seven points of the final quarter to extend Sacramento’s lead to 91-67. Ainge’s basket with 6:45 remaining gave the Kings their biggest margin of the game, 95-68.

Sacramento’s Ricky Berry was ejected in the third period after he took a swing at Ken Norman. Berry’s punch, which missed, came after Norman threw the ball at Berry following a foul.

“I was a little surprised how well Tisdale did,” Sacramento Coach Jerry Reynolds said. “I thought Benoit Benjamin would give us a tough time inside.”

Benjamin said: “Tisdale was real effective down low, but I don’t think that was the entire game. Their outside shooting really hurt us.”

The Clippers made a higher percentage of their shots, 37 for 74, but the Kings were able to hit 43 of 97 shots, including three three-point baskets by Ainge.

“I feel whenever I get the ball down low its going to be difficult, to stop me from scoring no matter who you are,” Tisdale said. “I’m going to definitely find a way to score.”