Kings at Clippers
The Sacramento Kings ended their five-game losing streak in their last contest. They have a chance to prevent the Los Angeles Clippers from setting a franchise high for consecutive wins when the Pacific Division rivals meet at the Staples Center on Friday. Sacramento had dropped five straight before coming away with a 131-127 triumph over the Golden State Warriors at home on Wednesday. Now the Kings are back on the road, where they have lost four in a row and are a dismal 1-10 overall.
Los Angeles, which sits atop the Pacific, has not lost since dropping a 105-98 decision to the New Orleans Hornets at home on Nov. 26. It avenged that defeat on Wednesday, when it posted a 93-77 triumph over the Hornets at the Staples Center. The win was the Clippers' 11th in a row, matching the franchise mark set in November 1974 when the club was known as the Buffalo Braves.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE KINGS (8-17): DeMarcus Cousins has been a key contributor of late, scoring in double figures in 11 of his last 13 games. However, he is only 14-of-48 from the field in his last four contests. Jason Thompson also has been a factor offensively as he's reached double figures in eight of his last 10 games. Thompson posted a double-double in Wednesday's win over Golden State, scoring 10 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. Seven players scored in double figures versus the Warriors. Marcus Thornton was 5-of-10 from 3-point range as the Kings went 11-for-19 from beyond the arc.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (19-6): Los Angeles apparently does not need huge performances from Blake Griffin in order to succeed. The Clippers are an impressive 13-3 when Griffin scores fewer than 20 points. He is averaging 18 points thus far this season. Los Angeles is second in the league in inside scoring. The club has averaged 47.9 points in the paint. The Clippers rank first in fast-break points with an average of 18.1. The Clippers have won by 12 or more points seven times during their winning streak.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Clippers cruised to a 116-81 home victory over the Kings on Dec. 1.
2. Sacramento's Tyreke Evans has missed the last two games with a knee injury.
3. Los Angeles has won seven of the last eight overall meetings in the all-time series and four in a row at home.
PREDICTION: Clippers 113, Kings 96.