Kings jump on Clippers
Bobby Jackson turned back the clock a few years Friday night for the Sacramento Kings.
Jackson scored 18 points and Kevin Martin had 20 as the Kings built an early lead and cruised to a 98-86 victory over the Clippers on Friday night.
A key contributor earlier this decade when the Kings were one of the NBA’s premier teams, Jackson is nearing his 36th birthday and has mostly been used off the bench in his return to Sacramento.
But with starter Beno Udrih out with a sprained ankle against the Clippers, Jackson made his fourth start of the year and played a season-high 37 minutes. He made three three-pointers and also added four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one blocked shot.
“I don’t want any big minutes anymore,” Jackson said. “My body feels better when I play 20 to 22 minutes. I had to pace myself a little out there tonight.”
For one of the few games this season, the Kings had control nearly the entire way. They led by nine points after one quarter, were up 13 at the half, and built the margin to a high of 24 points in the third quarter.
Andres Nocioni had 17 for Sacramento, which ended a three-game losing streak and had lost 17 of its previous 19.
Francisco Garcia added 15 points, Rashad McCants 12 and Jason Thompson 10, and Spencer Hawes had a career-high 15 rebounds.
“When everyone is involved in a game like this, a blowout like this is a lot of fun,” Hawes said. “It was good for us. In our situation, we really needed it.”
It was hardly a fun night for the Clippers, who had been playing well of late, beating Boston at home this week and winning five of their previous nine games. Although the Kings have the NBA’s worst record at 13-47, they have beaten the Clippers three straight times this season.
“They jumped on us,” Baron Davis said. “[Early] in the first quarter, they were playing into our hands. Then they went on that run and we were playing catch-up ever since. We were not able to establish a lead and get a run.”
Davis and Steve Novak scored 13 points and Zach Randolph had 11 for the Clippers, who shot 38%.
Injuries continue to be a problem for the Clippers, who played without standout rookie guard Eric Gordon. He was the only Clippers player to appear in the team’s first 58 games.
“This is one of those games where we miss Eric Gordon,” Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “He is a very athletic guy that can attack off the dribble, create easy baskets for us and play good defense. He was getting close to 25 points before he got hurt.”
Martin scored 13 points and Nocioni had nine in the opening half when the Kings took a 52-39 lead.
The Kings scored the final 10 points to assume a 27-18 lead after one quarter.