Sacramento, CA – Randy Foye connected on four straight free throws in the final 16.5 seconds and the Clippers held off the Kings for a 93-85 victory at Power Balance Pavilion on Thursday.
Foye finished with 20 points to lead the Clippers, while Caron Butler and Blake Griffin each scored 14 and Chris Paul and Eric Bledsoe added 13 points apiece. Los Angeles had its six-game win streak snapped in a 113-108 loss to the Lakers on Wednesday.
The Clippers now hold a two-game lead over the Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks for the fourth spot in the Western Conference playoff race.
Isaiah Thomas paced the Kings with 17 points and Justin Thompson recorded a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Sacramento wrapped up its four- game home stand at 1-3.
"I thought our guys for the most part did a good job," said Sacramento head coach Keith Smart. "We're not that far away. This team is going to get there, they are going to arrive. They keep this spirit they have now, they are going to get there."
Bledsoe opened the fourth quarter with a layup to press the lead to seven, but Sacramento took the lead after a 10-2 run gave the Kings a 72-71 edge just over four minutes into the fourth.
The lead was just three before Griffin scored six straight to give the Clippers an 84-81 advantage with 2:18 left in the fourth.
DeMarcus Cousins and Paul then exchanged layups before Tyreke Evans hit two from the charity stripe after a Paul turnover to bring the Kings within 86-85 with 18.0 ticks on the clock.
But Foye went 4-of-4 from the line around a Sacramento turnover to press the lead to 90-85 with 14.4 seconds left to seal the victory for the Clippers.
The Clippers rallied with the final six of the first to take a 27-23 lead into the second and led 40-28 after five straight points from Bledsoe just before the midway point of the stanza.
Trailing by 14, the Kings scored 12 straight points to pull within 44-42 with 1:22 left until halftime and trailed just 48-42 at the break.
Six straight from the Clippers pushed them in front by 11 with under three minutes left in the third, but another late run from the Kings pulled the home team within 67-62 heading into the final frame.
Game Notes
These two teams meet again Saturday night in Los Angeles...The Kings outscored the Clippers 44-34 in the paint and won the battle on the glass 44-43...The lead changed hands 16 times in this contest...Both teams finished with 18 turnovers.
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