The second-highest scoring NBA matchup took place seven days ago between the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers. Points were scored at a pinball-like rate.
When the host Kings and Clippers play again on Friday night in the capital of California, it is extremely unlikely that they will combine for 351 points once more.
There aren’t many games like the one on Feb. 24 in Los Angeles, when the Kings beat the Clippers 176-175 in double overtime.
The only game with more points scored was the 370 total points scored by the Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets on December 13, 1983, when they beat each other 186-184 in triple overtime.
Malik Monk of Sacramento had 45 points, a career-high, and De’Aaron Fox had 42 points, 12 assists, and 5 steals. Kawhi Leonard scored 44 points for Los Angeles, a season high, and Paul George added 34.
On Thursday, Leonard stated that he would not participate in the rematch on the second night of a back-to-back.
After losing to the Golden State Warriors 115-91 on Thursday in San Francisco, the young Kings are now in third place in the Western Conference, while Los Angeles is in seventh place. The Clippers had suffered their fourth defeat in a row.
Obviously, regardless of how many points are scored, every game is still important in the West because the 13th-place team is only 5 1/2 games behind the fourth-place team.
Los Angeles blew an 11-point halftime lead and was outscored 70-35 in the second half on Thursday against Golden State, so Sacramento will be more rested for the rematch.
Against the Warriors, Leonard scored 21 points, but George only had 11 points on 3-of-15 shooting. George stated that he would reevaluate the situation in the morning, but that he expected to play on Friday night.
After the game, Clippers forward Norman Powell was seen with his left arm in a sling. Neither his condition nor the severity of the injury were immediately known.
Against Golden State, Powell played 21 minutes and scored two points on 1-of-9 shooting.
The Clippers haven’t won in four games with Russell Westbrook on the court, scoring just eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.
Tyronn Lue, the coach in Los Angeles, believes that there is a lot of dissatisfaction.
After defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder twice on the road, Sacramento has won seven of nine games and four in a row.
On Sunday and Tuesday, the Kings prevailed 124-115 and 123-117. Fox missed the second game because of soreness in his left wrist, scoring 33 points in the first victory.
On Thursday, Fox participated in all practice sessions and was listed as questionable. Also thought to be questionable was big man Richaun Holmes, who had an illness that wasn’t COVID.
Barnes had 29 points in the game on Tuesday, Domantas Sabonis had 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists, and Kevin Huerter had 20 points.
During a road trip that began with the crazy game in Los Angeles, Sacramento went 3-0.
