Ever head the expression about the sun shining on a dog's backside every once in a while? On Friday, the Clippers were that dog, and getting to play the Kings at home was that sunshine. Behind 21 points from Brian Skinner, L.A. blew out Sacramento, 109-78.
The Kings are two games worse than the Clippers in the race for the league's worst record, but they played substantially lower than that Friday night at Staples Center. With their leading scorer Kevin Martin out with a sprained ankle for the fifth straight game, L.A. took advantage from the opening tip, and had built a 22-point lead by the end of the first quarter.
It's funny; even when the Clippers are winning, they can't manage to provide an entertaining ball game for their fans. L.A. led by a whopping 26 points at halftime, and stretched their lead to 31 points by the end of the third quarter, which ended up being the final margin of victory.
Any sane person in attendance would have taken off to check out the newly-opened L.A. Live complex across the street.
Those that stayed, however, saw Brian Skinner lead the team with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Chris Kaman come off the bench to contribute 14 and 13.
With the loss, the Kings move into prime ping-pong ball position for the number one overall pick in this summer's draft, and a shot at Blake Griffin. For the Clippers, recent history shows that both their position in the draft, as well as who they select, is completely irrelevant to their chances to compete in the following season.
