Sacramento, CA – Marcus Thornton and Toney Douglas combined for nine 3-pointers, while four other Sacramento players scored in double- figures in the Kings' 116-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
Thornton's 6-for-10 shooting performance from beyond the arc helped him net 25 points and Douglas' three treys down the stretch helped seal Sacramento's third win in five games.
"It felt good," Douglas said of his performance. "It would have been just as good if somebody else would have hit them, as long as we win. If we win, I'm happy."
Douglas had 19 points while fellow reserve Patrick Patterson chipped in with 13 points as the Kings bench outscored the Clippers' reserves, 62-38. DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans each scored 17, with Cousins also posting 11 rebounds in the win.
The Clippers have lost four of seven and saw their five-game win streak over Sacramento come to an end. Chris Paul was 2-for-10 from the field, but posted a double-double with 11 points and 15 assists in defeat.
"We're not playing well enough right now," Los Angeles coach Vinny Del Negro admitted. "We're not guarding hard enough right now. We're not physically and mentally tough enough, especially when we have to be in the fourth quarter and that's definitely a concern."
Blake Griffin ended with 26 points and Jamal Crawford scored 25 off the bench.
The momentum of the contest shifted late in the third quarter when Matt Barnes rushed an uncontested fastbreak layup that would have given the Clippers a nine-point lead with under a minute left.
Instead, Sacramento rattled off 15 of the next 18 points and grabbed a 91-86 lead following a pair of driving scores from Evans just over four minutes through the fourth quarter.
With the Kings daring DeAndre Jordan to make a free throw, they twice fouled the poor shooting center intentionally with over four minutes left and he made just 1-of-4, which got the Clippers to tie the game at 94-94, but they never retook the lead.
Douglas broke the deadlock with a 17-foot jumper and soon after nailed three 3-pointers in a row to bust open a nine-point lead for the Kings. Thornton then added his sixth from beyond the arc to create a double-digit lead, 110-98, and Sacramento never looked back.
The Kings were 9-for-16 from three-point distance in the first half -- including 6-for-11 in the second quarter to help create a 56-54 lead at the break.
The Clippers, though, had started to create some separation late in the third by taking an 83-76 lead with under a minute left, but Barnes' missed layup ensued and seemed to halt momentum.
Game Notes
Sacramento shot 14-for-28 from beyond the arc for the contest ... The Clippers committed 18 turnovers ... There were 12 lead changes and 11 ties.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.