Mar

6

Thornton’s 13 OT Points Help Clippers Edge Kings 116-109

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under Main 

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Los Angeles Clippers forward Al Thornton is one of the few bright spots for an otherwise lottery-bound team; he is also in the running for Rookie of the Year.? If he continuees to impress like he did tonight against the Sacramento Kings, he will make Seattle SuperSonics swingman Kevin Durant and Atlanta Hawks forward/center Al Horford sweat bullets.? Thornton scored 13 points in two overtimes, leading the Clippers to a narrow win over the Kings 116-109 Wednesday night at Staples Center.

Sacramento was without 2 of their top players, Ron Artest (sore foot) and Kevin Martin (bruised right thumb), which made the task of attempting to beat Los Angeles all the more daunting; the Kings led 60-43 on a jumper by Mikki Moore with 9:33 left in the third quarter.? They began the fourth quarter with an 8-point advantage before the Clippers narrowed their lead to 81-79 on a pair of free throws by Chris Kaman, a layup by Thornton and a pair of free throws by Corey Maggette.

The Kings extended their lead to 89-82 on a 20-footer by Beno Udrih with 2:26 left in the fourth period, but the Clippers went on a 9-2 spurt by tying the game on a 3-pointer by Dan Dickau and a jumper by Thornton with 18.6 ticks in regulation to force the game into overtime.? Los Angeles held the lead throughout the second overtime as Dickau got the Clippers on the right track with a trey and they ended the game with a 10-4 run.

Los Angeles had 6 players in double-digits, led by the aforementioned Thornton from off the bench with 27 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocked shots, while Maggette scored 25 with 5 rebounds and 8 assists; Dickau had a decent effort, adding 20 with 4 rebounds and 4 assists.? Kaman pitched in with 17 along with 11 rebounds,?a steal?and 4 blocked shots.? Sacramento was led by Udrih with 25 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, while Moore scored 20 with 5 rebounds and 4 assists; Quincy Douby, from off the bench, added 14 with a rebound, an assist and a blocked shot, while the improving Spencer Hawes had 10 with 8 rebounds,? an assist and 2 blocked shots.? Los Angeles (20-39) now play their crosstown rival Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, while Sacramento (27-34) flies to Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Timberwolves – also on Friday.


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