Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard dunks in front of Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray during the Clippers’ 101-100 win Friday night. Leonard finished with 28 points and seven rebounds. (Scott Marshall / Associated Press)
The race for a spot in the playoffs has kept the Clippers on high alert. The race to avoid the NBA’s play-in tournament has kept them playing with purpose.
The Clippers know the stakes are high in the competitive Western Conference, each game more important than the last as they jockey for position among six teams still unsure of their postseason place.
The Clippers brought their best again, surviving in a 101-100 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at Golden 1 Center.
Read more: Ivica Zubac delivers first triple-double as playoff-focused Clippers beat Rockets
The Clippers nearly gave up all of their 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Holding a one-point lead, James Harden turned over the ball trying to inbound it, with Keegan Murray getting the steal.
The Kings called a timeout with 2.2 seconds left. But DeMar DeRozan missed a runner while being defended by Derrick Jones Jr. and Ivica Zubac, allowing the Clippers to win their seventh straight game.
More importantly, the Clippers remained fifth in the West. Though they have the same record as Denver at 49-32, the Nuggets are the fourth seed because of tiebreakers. The teams split the season series at 2-2, and the next tiebreaker is conference records. Denver is 31-20 in the Western Conference and the Clippers are 28-23.
The Clippers’ regular-season finale is Sunday afternoon against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. It figures to be another tense game. The Warriors are 48-33 and sitting in sixth.
“I guess this prepares you for the playoffs,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “You get in, because every night it has been playoff prep, playoff play from our guys. And we are playing at a high level to be in this position. So, it’s a good position to be in and we just know we got to take care of our own business. We can’t wait for other teams to lose or see who beats who. We just got to go out and take it game by game and take care of our own business.”
Kawhi Leonard played with force, scoring 28 points.
Harden produced a triple-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds and 10 assists. It was the 80th triple-double of his career and sixth as a Clipper.
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard reacts after making a three-pointer against the Kings on Friday night. (Scott Marshall / Associated Press)
Leonard’s three-pointer with 1 second left in the second quarter gave the Clippers a 50-49 halftime lead they never lost, and it gave Leonard 20 points in the first 24 minutes.
Leonard has continued his way up the Clippers’ career list, having scored 6,450 points, pushing him past Ken Norman for 10th place on the all-time scoring list.
Lue mentioned how Minnesota, Memphis, Golden State and Denver also have been playing for playoff position. The Timberwolves are 48-33 too and sitting in seventh. Memphis is 47-34 and in eighth.
“Like, these have been playoff games the last 10, 15 games, or just making sure you stay where you’re able to get into the playoffs without being in the play-in,” Lue said. “So, a lot of teams are fighting for that.”
Norman Powell, back after missing a game because of right shoulder soreness, continued the best season of his 10-year career, scoring 16 to give him 1,263 points for a new career high.
The Clippers didn’t have role player Nicolas Batum, who’s nursing a right groin strain.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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