Los Angeles ? It was no surprise that the Los Angeles Clippers lost Monday to the Sacramento Kings, considering how poorly they shot.
The wonder was that they kept the score close.
Close it was, though, the Clippers’ parlaying grit and guile into an eight-point lead in the third quarter and a five-point advantage in the fourth before stumbling in the last 4 1/2 minutes of an 89-83 loss at Staples Center.
A crowd of 17,139 saw the Kings score 15 of the game’s last 19 points to emerge from the holiday matinee with their second victory over the Clippers in three days, their seventh in a row over them and their 12th in the teams’ last 13 meetings.
With scoring leader Corey Maggette misfiring on 15 of 17 shots, the Clippers made a season-worst 31.9 percent of their field-goal attempts but pulled down 55 rebounds and, despite their poor marksmanship, rallied from an early 13-point deficit behind the strong inside play of Elton Brand and Chris Kaman.
“I feel bad for the guys,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said after the Clippers (18-19) had again dipped below .500, “because in many ways they did enough good things to win the game. But down the stretch we made some crucial mistakes: a couple turnovers, a foul at the wrong time. We just have to become headier players. We’ve got to learn the thinking part of the game too. We’re doing a pretty good job on the effort part of the game.
“At times, we get a little frazzled and just don’t make the proper read or the proper play. But as far as from an effort standpoint and everything they’ve given us, it’s terrific. You know, the guys are young and they’re making some strides, but this is the battle we’re going to fight.”
Chris Webber, who scored 36 points Saturday, poured in another 23 and led the Kings with 14 rebounds and six assists.
