Kawhi Leonard and Clippers beat Kings, move into a tie for eighth
SACRAMENTO — Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points, and the Clippers snapped a two-game skid by beating the Sacramento Kings 138-109 on Sunday night to improve their play-in positioning.
Leonard scored 13 points in the first quarter as the Clippers raced out to a double-digit lead and coasted against a Kings team playing out the string of a lost season. Leonard has scored 20 or more in 54 consecutive games.
John Collins added 25 points, and Darius Garland and Kobe Sanders each had 17 for the Clippers.
The Clippers (40-38) moved into a tie with Portland for eighth place in the Western Conference with four games to play. The eighth-place team will have two shots to get into the playoffs through the play-in tournament.
Devin Carter scored 21 points and Nique Clifford had 18 to lead Sacramento. Maxime Raynaud had 16 rebounds and 11 points for his 18th double-double, the most among rookies.
The Kings, who won their previous two games, remained in a tie with Utah for the fourth-worst record in the NBA at 21-58 with three games left. Sacramento is tied for the third-most losses in franchise history, having lost 59 games in 1989-90 and 65 in 2008-09.
Up next for the Clippers: vs. Dallas at Intuit Dome on Tuesday night.