The early slate of NBA games Monday night featured the Pistons edging out the Celtics and the Cavaliers taking down the upstart 76ers. In the late games, the Clippers and Lakers went after LA supremacy, while superstars Steph Curry and Kevin Durant both sat out with injuries; this gave the Kings a fair fight in their matchup against the Warriors.
Clippers (8-11) defeat Lakers (8-12) - 120-115
A lot has happened since the Lakers and Clippers first matched up to open the season. Heading into the game Monday (Nov. 27) night, the Clippers had won two in a row, but that was after losing 11 of their previous 12.
The Lakers haven’t been much better, but their wins and losses have come in spurts. Kyle Kuzma has proven to be the best rookie on the Lakers’ roster, which is both a blessing and curse in regards to the Lonzo Ball hype.
The Clippers raced out to an early 14-4 lead, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope got hot for the purple and gold, dropping 16 points in the first quarter to make it a two-point game. The score remained tight from then on as the two teams continuously traded buckets through the second and third quarters, entertaining the LA crowd.
The Lakers held a two-point edge entering the final period. But that's when Clippers' guard Lou Williams took over. Williams scored 14 points in the fourth to propel the Clippers to victory.
Williams finished with 42 points, while Blake Griffin added 26 and 11 rebounds. However, Griffin left with an injury late in the game.
Kings (5-14) defeat Warriors (15-6) - 110-106
With Steph Curry and Kevin Durant both out, the Warriors’ bench players got a chance to play a prominent role against the Kings. The score was tied at 27 after one, but the Warriors managed to grab a two-point lead at halftime.
Patrick McCaw, starting in place of Curry, led Golden State with nine points and four rebounds.
The Warriors went up by as much as eight in the third quarter after an Andre Iguodala shot from deep, but a 10-0 Kings’ run put Sacramento in the driver's seat heading into the fourth. Each team took turns with the lead throughout the final period.
A Klay Thompson three-pointer at the 3:11 mark gave Golden State a four-point edge, but the Kings stormed back, scoring the final eight points of the game. Willie Cauley-Stein came off-the-bench for Sacramento to score 19 points and grab eight boards.
Spurs (13-7) defeat Mavericks (5-16) - 115-108
While the Spurs are still without top player Kawhi Leonard, they did get future Hall of Fame point guard, Tony Parker, back in the lineup. But despite the warm welcome from San Antonio fans, the boost from Parker's return didn't help initially. The Mavericks jumped out to a two-point lead after one quarter and pushed that number to seven on a Wesley Matthews three-point shot just before halftime.
San Antonio battled back in the third, tying the game 58-58 on a Pau Gasol dunk.
The two teams exchanged leads in the quarter, but the Spurs held a two-point edge going into the final period. Dallas fought to keep the score close, but could never reclaim the lead. LaMarcus Aldridge led San Antonio with 33 points and ten rebounds. Parker had six points and four assists in 14 minutes of action.
