National Basketball Association player throws seat cushion into stands, hits fan

Obviously the Kings would be reluctant to trade away their star player, but I think that if they could get enough in return, then they would probably make the trade. “I feel like this a competitive game, the competitive juices are flowing”. It remains to be seen if DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin and the rest of the LA team could deliver a repeat of their victory earlier this week, or if DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Rajon Rondo will have a better grasp at the strengths and weaknesses of the Sacramento squad. The Sac players waltzed to the rim on seemingly every play, punctuated with 8 made field goals from Rajon Rondo at the cup. “This summer, I kind of evaluated everything”. He scored 33 points in Wednesday’s win and 26 more in less than 27 minutes Thursday. Sacramento closed out the final minutes of the first half with seven unanswered points.

The uptick in threes was encouraging for the Lakers, tying the Rockets for most three point attempts in their first game.

The power forward and Cousins helped the Kings dominate down low all game and they finished with 80 points in the paint. The Clippers have won nine straight regular-season road games dating to last season. Unlike Rondo, he can knock down jump shots and free throws, while also not being a ball dominant point guard. The Clippers held the Mavs to a 6-for-30 mark from 3-point range but let the Kings hit 11 long-range shots in the opener.

The Kings also honored the heroes Anthony Sadler and Spencer Stone at center court during the game.

Sacramento committed 12 of its 18 turnovers in the first half to dig a big hole before rallying in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers will keep searching for a solution as they host the Mavericks on Sunday night. It was a very encouraging start for the Kings who flew out of the gates and led the Lakers by 24 points at halftime and as many as 31 points midway through the third quarter before taking their foot off the gas late. It’s definitely new to me. “I hate it. Phil made me do it years ago, and I had to learn how to do it years ago to set up the triangle”. We all knew that the youth movement was well under way and that this season was less about winning and more about growth, regardless the game’s outcome. Pierce, playing his first game in a Clipper uniform clearly illustrated (as if there was a question) why Coach Doc Rivers wanted him in Clipper uniform as the Clippers closed the game with a 14-6 run to win the season opener. The Clippers are 17-3 in their last 20 matchups against the Kings …

The Clippers blew another lead tonight, and they did it in Sacramento, the Lemmy Koopa of the West right now. Former Clippers Darren Collison and Caron Butler combined for 21 points off the bench for the Kings in that matchup … The Clippers shot 52.5 percent in that opening matchup against the Kings … In his career before opening night this year, Cousins had taken 69 three-pointers and made just 11 of them, good for a lowly 15.9 make percentage.