Kings face Clippers 01.19.2004
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This is the third meeting this season between the two squads. The Kings have been victorious in the first two contests, winning 105-95 on December 9, 2003 at ARCO Arena and 116-109 on January 3, 2004 at LA.
On Friday, Peja Stojakovic scored 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting to lead the Kings to a 103-83 rout of the injury-plagued Los Angeles Lakers in front of their home crowd.
Stojakovic, who came into the game shooting slightly under 50 percent for the season, continued his solid shooting by hitting eight of his first 10 shots in the contest, as Sacramento won its fourth straight game.
Mike Bibby added 21 points in the win and Vlade Divac contributed 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Kings, who have won eight of their last nine at home.
The Lakers were forced to play without three-fifths of their starting lineup. Center Shaquille O’Neal, forward Karl Malone and guard Kobe Bryant all remained sidelined with injuries.
"They didn’t have their big guns. So we did what we had to do," Sacramento’s Brad Miller explained.
The Kings, who have won two of their last three on the road, are 7-7 as the visitor this season.
The Clippers lost to the Lakers, 91-89, Saturday as the basketball rivals in Los Angeles hooked up at the Staples Center. Elton Brand posted a season-high 35 points for the Clippers, who have dropped five of their last seven.
The Clippers only shot 38 percent from the field in the loss and turned the ball over 15 times. Brand has registered 19 double-doubles this the season.
Clippers guard Quentin Richardson (sprained right hand) is expected to miss today’s game.
The Clippers, who have lost two of their last three at home, are 12-10 as the host this season.
The home team has won 10 of the last 13 meetings in this series. Sacramento has won three straight and eight of the last nine contests with the Clippers. The Kings have won three of their last four at the Clippers.