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The Staples center hosted two games Sunday night in the NBA, how else can the title sound reasonable right?
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings comfortably to end a busy night at the Staples Center which earlier hosted the contest between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Chicago Bulls, the former embarrassed the latter in front of their home crowd.
Although a busy night at the Staples, it was by no means a busy night in the NBA with only 10 teams playing on Sunday night.
Here’s a look into some key stats
Los Angeles Lakers reach .500 mark with a three game winning streak: -
The Lakers have the highest scoring group of reserves in the league and the top scorer for the Lakers in the game for the fifth time this season was off the bench. They have reached the .500 mark on the back of their three game win streak over the last week.
Steve Blake continued to stack up double digits assists with 12 in this game against the Kings. He has recorded double digits assists 5 times over the last six games now. Pau Gasol for a second straight season recorded a double double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Jodi Meeks had an efficient game scoring 14 points on 6-10 shooting. He has now scored 14 or more points in three of the last four games.
The Xavier Henry we saw in the pre-season and starting few games of the season was back Sunday night. Coming off the bench he had a game high 21 points, scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter alone. His efficient night came on the back of shooting 7-11 from the field, 2-4 from beyond the arc and 5-6 from the charity stripe.
Jordan Hill breakthrough season with the Lakers continued against the Kings. He recorded a double double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, but his biggest contribution to the team is his hustle and energy on the offensive board. He averages 3.4 offensive rebounds a game and has 4 double doubles in the last six games.
The Lakers simply outplayed the Kings. They shot 80% from the free throw line while the Kings were a dismal 53.3 from the foul line. The Lakers had three turnovers lesser than their opponents and the biggest factor that led to the win has been sharing the ball. Scouting report on the Lakers sees their ball sharing and perimeter shot making as their biggest threat.
Meanwhile the Sacramento Kings continue their slide. Although they are 4 games ahead of last placed Utah Jazz they are also 2.5 games behind the Lakers. Their 4-9 season so far has been frustrating to say the least.
Vasquez, Demarcus Cousins and McLemore were the only Kings players in double figures. Cousins had a good all round game with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists but his foul trouble made him ineffective late in the game.
Have a look at the highlights: -
Chicago Bulls come out flat in first game without Rose: -
Jared Dudley had an efficient shooting night in his productive game with the Clippers
In their first game without Derrick Rose, the Chicago Bulls lost to the Los Angeles Clippers by the largest margin of defeat this season in the NBA. They were hanging around the whole first half, keeping the lead to 10 or less. But the Clippers ended the half on 17-9 run to take a 13 point lead into the locker room.
In the third quarter, the Clippers started to take control and kept the pressure on the Bulls and lead by 23. The fourth quarter was an embarrassment for the Bulls. The Clippers outscored them 25-9 in the final period of play to finish the game with a 39 point as their margin of victory.
Six Clippers scored in double figures with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin recording double doubles. Paul was at his best in this contest scoring 16 points and recording 10 of his season high 17 assists in the first half to take his tally of double doubles to 14 in 15 games played. Blake Griffin recorded his eighth consecutive double double for the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
New recruits Jared Dudley and J.J. Redick had an efficient shooting night. Dudley contributed team high 21 points on 8-10 shooting from the field and 4-5 from long distance in what was his most productive game of the season. Redick meanwhile missed only three shots for the night en route to scoring 19 points.
Antawn Jamison received his first minutes for the season and coming off the bench scored 11 points in 19 minutes. Darren Collison, another bench contributor in double digits, provided a season high 14 points and 5 assists. The Clippers bench outscored their thin and not so tested Bulls counterparts 46-9 in this much needed bounce back victory after defeating the Sacramento Kings by a slim margin of 2 points.
Luol Deng, Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Boozer were the only Bulls in double figures. Their consistent defense too gave way allowing the Clippers to shoot 58.5% from the field and record 65 points in first half. The 121 points tied for the second most allowed points by the Bulls in the regular season under Coach Tom Thibodeau.
Despite good ball movement without the Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, the Bulls lacked the offensive threat on the floor who can create a shot on his own from the perimeter. They are now 0-3 on their six game road trip and with their road record of 1-6 this season there isn’t a lot to look forward to in the remaining three games.
Here are the highlights from the Clippers blowout victory.
