Clippers Turned to Royal Jelly

These late-season tests have been stressful for the Clippers, who graded themselves poorly again Sunday night after a 106-96 loss to the Sacramento Kings at Arco Arena.

The Clippers acknowledged they flopped against a team that’s also trying to improve its standing in the Western Conference playoff race, losing their 12th in a row to the Kings and their 16th consecutive game here.

Forward Ron Artest scored a game-high 26 points and had five steals while setting an aggressive tone on defense against the Clippers, who rarely pushed back.

Although the Clippers rallied several times, briefly taking their only lead in the third quarter, they quickly regressed as the Kings applied more pressure.

The Clippers still appear to be playoff-bound for the first time in nine seasons, but perhaps they should pack lightly.

“Our guys weren’t prepared to come out and play the way we needed to play,” said Coach Mike Dunleavy, whose team is 0-3 against the Kings this season. “... Mentally, we weren’t here. We had 22 turnovers for 27 points, and another seven offensive boards for another 12 points, which tells me I’m wasting my breath. We’ve got 10 games to figure it out, and they’ve got to figure it out.

“We just let them take the game to us, and having said all that, we got ourselves back into the game three different times. Then we took bad shots, or turned it over again, and didn’t make the plays we needed to make. If we keep doing that, I think we’ll still make the playoffs, but we’ll be one and done.”

The Clippers (42-30) never recovered from the Kings’ fast start. Sacramento (38-36), which has won three in a row, began the game with a 9-0 run. The Clippers pulled to within 45-41 with 1 minute 47 seconds left in the first half, but the Kings closed on a 7-2 spurt to lead, 52-43, at halftime.

After the Clippers took their only lead, 59-58, on Cuttino Mobley’s three-pointer at the 7:57 mark of the third, Artest scored eight consecutive points on two free throws and consecutive three-pointers (he had four) to put Sacramento ahead for good.

Point guard Mike Bibby also made four three-pointers and had 22 points with seven assists, and center Brad Miller contributed 25 points and nine rebounds for the Kings, who moved closer to securing the conference’s eighth and final playoff berth.

“It’s going to be tough, but if anyone can get the wins, I think we can,” said Bibby, who scored 38 and 32 points, respectively, in the Kings’ previous victories over the Clippers.

The Clippers would be seeded fifth if the playoffs began today. Their “magic number” to clinch a playoff berth remained at four.

Sam Cassell and Chris Kaman each scored 20 points. Elton Brand, Kaman and Vladimir Radmanovic were in double figures in rebounds for the Clippers, who outrebounded the Kings, 54-31. But it didn’t matter because of all their other deficiencies, Dunleavy said.

“They’re in the eighth spot and they need every win,” Dunleavy said of the Kings. “You think they’re going to come out and not give a great effort? Our decision making and their physical play -- they took the ball to us.”

Said Kaman: “We knew what we had to do, and Mike’s [defensive] coverages were good. Obviously, he knows what he’s doing by now, so it was just frustrating that we can never get these guys.”