LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Clippers entered tonight’s regular-season opener with a lot of questions to be answered amid all the off-season turmoil and an injury list that piled on throughout the offseason.
Yet, the Clippers answered the call tonight with a resounding 121-96 victory over the Sacramento Kings inside the raucous Intuit Dome crowd.
Similar to their first meeting last season on Dec. 30, where the Clippers had their largest home margin of victory ever against the Kings, 131-90, the Clippers took command for nearly the entirety of the second half.
Facing a Kings defense that held opponents to only a low mark of 98 points twice last season, the Clippers hit their stride from deep through the early stages, something Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue felt his team could accomplish.
“We shot 52% from the field and 40% from three, those are some good numbers,” said Lue. “We just got to make sure we play the right way every possession, we have no margin for error.”
Nico Alba - The Sporting Tribune
Los Angeles Clippers guard Kris Dunn (8) makes a three pointer during an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Wednesday October 21st, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Efficiency was not a factor for the Clippers coming into this season, as they ranked third in the league last year at a near 49% shooting clip from the floor and had a near 41% mark from beyond the arc in all games against the Kings last season.
Rather, it was their volume of shots that ranked amongst the bottom 10 teams in the league, coming in second-to-last with 40.5 field goals made.
There was no shortage of offense tonight as the Clippers rained down 41 points in the first quarter alone, much higher than their 17-point effort last time these two faced off in Sacramento back on Feb. 6.
With already seven triples deposited by the start of the second quarter, the Clippers stretched their lead to 18 points and were clicking on both ends. However, the low point of the game ensued for the Clippers following an early Kings timeout, as they roared back with a 25-14 run to close out the half while the Clippers held on to a slim 61-54 lead after missing 13 of their 18 shots during that stretch.
The Clippers played a much better brand of basketball in the second half, as they spaced the floor and created opportunities for their top threats.
In a game that would potentially feature the No. 5 overall pick and Clippers’ rookie sensation Keaton Wagler, it was the veterans who provided that spark.
Guard Darius Garland led all scorers with 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting. In arguably his first ever season as the leader and overall officiator, Garland led the charge and has racked up double figures in all 20 games as a Clipper.
“Darius I thought coming out (set) the tone early, scoring the ball offensively,” said Lue. “Then in the second half getting everyone else involved, he did a really good job of orchestrating that second half.”
In a new role as the backup Center, Brook Lopez controlled the low post and paint, recording a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds to begin his 18th season.
Nico Alba - The Sporting Tribune
Los Angeles Clippers center Brook Lopez (11) makes the turnaround mid range jumper during an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Wednesday October 21st, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
That back-court and front-court tandem helped ignite a massive run in the third quarter following a early Clippers timeout where the Kings trimmed it down to five.
Nailing 8 of their next 13 shots in the quarter, the Clippers built their lead back up to 18 and then some, limiting the Kings to just 14 points the remaining of the quarter. The Kings were never able to trim it back into single digits the rest of the way after they were a down by a mere two-possessions.
“As the second half started, I thought we did a better job of just moving the basketball, moving bodies, and making the right plays,” said Lue. “We’ve got to continue doing that every single night.”
The Kings also saw contributions from their veteran stars in guard Zach LaVine and center Domantas Sabonis.
Lavine dropped 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor, while the double-double machine in Sabonis put up another by the half, finishing with 14 points and 18 rebounds.
Those 18 boards for Sabonis not only matched a season high from an injury-riddled year last season where he played in just 19 games, but it was also the most in a season opener for any player in Kings history.
The biggest story of the night for the Kings was the royal-less debut from their No. 7 draft pick and point guard Darius Acuff Jr. While he got some good looks from the floor and attacked the rim, he shot a poor 5-for-24 from the floor and 0-for-7 from deep, finishing with 12 points.
Wagler, on the other hand, got more reps in the second half with an already sizable lead. Wagler finished with 15 points and had 10 in the second half. He also collected five rebounds and five assists.
In this bout of banged-up squads, the Clippers earned their 113th victory against the Kings and their 69th against them at home. With already the third best overall record in the league since the 2011-2012 season and the longest active winning-season streak of 15, the Clippers begin this 2026-27 campaign victorious.
They will now take a short trip up north on Interstate 110 and take on their cross-city rivals the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday with new goals in mind.
“I loved our activity, I loved our physicality,” said Lue. “We got to use our speed, we gotta be aggressive when teams attack the paint, we got to just scrap every single night (and) have each other’s backs.”
Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.