sacramento kings 123 vs la clippers 107

The Kings visit the Clippers on Friday night in a vital matchup for the makeup of the Western conference standings as LA is only a game behind Sacramento for third in the West. The Kings blew out the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in their last matchup, winning 123-96 on December 3. 

The Kings remain one of the best surprise teams of the NBA this year, coming in as the number three seed in the West. Before the season, the Kings’ win total for the season was 33.5 (Caesars), and with 25 games remaining, Sacramento already has 32 wins. Domantas Sabonis, who played in his third All-Star game last weekend, is averaging 18.8 points, 6.9 assists, and a league leading 12.3 rebounds per game. 

The Clippers made headlines this week when they signed former MVP Russell Westbrook for the remainder of the year. Westbrook is an interesting fit wherever he goes because he still has talent, but he is not good enough to lead a team, and yet he has to have the ball in his hands to make an impact on the court. Westbrook averaged 15.9 points, 7.5 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game with the Lakers this year.