• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Clippers snap seven-game losing streak with win over Kings

Dec 8, 2007 - 7:24 AM By Tom Galland PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SACRAMENTO, California (Ticker) -- Mike Dunleavy became the winningest coach in Los Angeles Clippers' history as the Sacramento Kings learned that life without Kevin Martin won't be easy.

Chris Kaman collected his 14th double-double of the season with 26 points and 12 rebounds as the Clippers dominated the second half and ended a seven-game losing streak with a 97-87 victory over the Kings at Arco Arena.

Corey Maggette scored 18 points and Tim Thomas added 17 to give Dunleavy win No. 159 as the coach of the Clippers, passing Jack Ramsey for first on the all-time list.

"I didn't even know it," Dunleavy said of the record-setting win. "But hey, it's great. Great to be around this long. It's good for us to be able to get a night where our guys started playing back the way they're capable of playing."

Kaman, who has been putting up All-Star numbers this season, hit 9-of-12 shots and added four assists while clogging the lane defensively against the Kings.

"The second half, coach kind of gave us a little pep talk at halftime, and we came out and played together and finished the game strong," Kaman said. "We've been playing decent defensively on teams lately. We just haven't been scoring any points and tonight we shot the ball well."

The Kings struggled in the second half without Martin - their leading scorer - who injured his groin in Tuesday's win over Utah. Martin, who is averaging 24.5 points per game, is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Trailing, 52-41, at the half, the Clippers went on a 15-4 run after the break to take a 56-55 lead with 6:54 left in the third quarter.

Los Angeles maintained the one-point lead after the third and took command in the fourth, racing to a 10-point advantage midway through the quarter.

"We didn't have intensity the second half, especially at the beginning of the third quarter, and they took advantage of that," Kings swingman Francisco Garcia said. "Kevin's a great player and we need him, but we had a good lead. We've got to stay focused."

Cuttino Mobley hit back-to-back shots to cap a 10-3 run that gave the Clippers an 86-76 lead with 6:19 remaining, and Sacramento never cut the deficit to less than eight points the rest of the way.

"It was a total team effort," said Clippers forward Ruben Patterson, who scored 10 points and added four steals off the bench. "We started playing defense, I got a couple steals. We were getting steals and rebounds and running, I was getting to the basket scoring - Corey, Cuttino, and they had no answer for Chris. We're just glad we got that monkey off our back."

The Clippers won their second straight game at Arco Arena after snapping a 17-game losing streak at Sacramento last season.

Los Angeles looked strong at the outset, making nine of its first 12 shots to grab an early 20-14 lead.

But Sacramento stepped up its defensive intensity and held the Clippers to 32 percent shooting for the rest of the half. The Kings took control with a 12-0 run in the first quarter and a 10-0 streak in the second to build an 11-point advantage at halftime.

The Kings' offense went stagnant to start the second half and the Clippers took full advantage.

Kaman scored 12 third-quarter points as the Kings made just 5-of-17 field goals in the period, helping Los Angeles take its first lead since the opening quarter. Los Angeles made 11-of-18 shots in the third and held a slim 71-70 margin entering the fourth.

Ron Artest led five players in double figures with 21 points for Sacramento, which was outscored, 56-35, in the second half.

"The energy level was zero, I thought, and that's sad in our building," Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "On the positive side, we've had a very good homestand. A win tonight would have made a great homestand. You can't be afraid of success."