The Kings beat the Clippers 176-175 in a double-overtime thriller

Los Angeles Clippers #0 Russell Westbrook (PG) driving to the basket for a layup. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

LOS ANGELES, CA - The world witnessed the second-highest scoring game in NBA history when the Sacramento Kings (34-25) beat the Los Angeles Clippers (33-29) in double-overtime 176-175 at Crypto.com Arena.

Russell Westbrooks got the starting nod at point guard in his debut as a Clipper had 17 points, and 14 assists, while the Clippers were led in scoring by Kawhi Leonard with 44 points, Paul George with 34 points, Norman Powell with 24 points, and Nicolas Batum with 19 points.

"We needed a point guard," George said. "We needed somebody that you saw tonight, somebody to get us in offense, somebody to get us easy baskets, and a floor general. That was just a necessity that we needed."

Sacramento Kings #0 Malik Monk (SG) is being defended by the Los Angeles Clippers #0 Russell Westbrook (SG) above the three-point line. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

The Clippers' defense had no answer for the Kings' Malik Monk, who scored 45 points, Deaaron Fox with 42 points, Domantas Sabonis with 20 points, and Keegan Murray with 15 points.

Russell Westbrook made two free throws to score his first points as a Clipper tied the game 2-2 in the first quarter. Sacramento led 8-2 with a three-pointer by Keegan Murray. The Clippers would lead 16-15 with back-to-back three-pointers by Paul George.

Westbrook would drive to the basket for a layup to tie the game 21-21. Kawhi Leonard would give the Clippers a 28-27 lead after being fouled on his made jump shot and one free throw. The Kings were trailing 34-31 with a layup by De'Aaron Fox.

Los Angeles Clippers #2 Kawhi Leonard (SF) jump shot at the free throw line. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Sacramento would lead the Clippers 40-38 with a reverse layup and free throw by Trey Lyles. The Clippers and Kings were tied 40-40 at the end of the quarter with a jump shot by Leonard before the buzzer went off.

Powell would knock down a three-pointer in front of the Clippers' bench to give them a 51-45 lead. George's three-pointer from the top of the key gave the Clippers a 57-51 lead. Westbrook would drive thru the lane and threw a pass to Powell for a three-pointer, and the Clippers now led 61-55.

Sacramento would regain the lead 66-64 with a three-pointer by Malik Monk with 4:09 left before halftime. Leonard would tie the game 68-68 with two free throws. The Kings got a bad break when Domantas Sabonis picked up his fourth foul and had to go to the bench. The Clippers retook the lead 70-66 with a pull-up jump shot by Morris Sr.

Sacramento Kings #5 De’Aaron Fox (PG) left-hand shot in the paint. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Nicolas Batum's tip-in shot gave the Clippers a 75-72 lead. Westbrook would set Powell up for another three-pointer with his pass, and the Clippers now led 80-74. The Clippers would lead at halftime 80-76. Leonard led the Clippers at halftime with 17 points, Powell with 16 points, and George with 12 points. Fox led the Kings in scoring with 16 points, Monk with 13 points, and Sabonis with 12 points.

The Clippers led 89-78 in the third quarter with back-to-back three-pointers by Leonard and George, and Sacramento called a timeout. Leonard would knock down another three-point shot to give the Clippers a 92-83 lead. The Kings' head coach Mike Brown got a technical foul, and George's free throw made the score 98-88. Westbrook's layup gave the Clippers a 100-88 lead.

Sacramento trailed by four points, 104-100, with a dunk by Monk. Batum's three-pointer gave the Clippers a 117-110 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Clippers would lead 136-129 with a three-pointer by Batum in the fourth quarter. Sacramento would trail 145-133 in the fourth quarter with a dunk by Sabonis with 3:56 left in the game.

The Kings trailed by one point, 146-145, with a layup by Sabonis. Westbrook would knock down a jump shot to give the Clippers a 151-148 lead with 15.0 seconds left in the game. George would make two free throws to give the Clippers a 153-150 lead with 8.1 seconds left in the game. Monk would send the game into overtime after his three-pointer tied the game 153-153 to end the quarter.

Los Angeles Clippers #13 Paul George (F) three-point shot from the right side of the basket. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

The Kings trailed in overtime 162-160 with a dunk by Monk. Fox would tie the game 162-162 with his jump shot. Monk would send the game into double overtime after making two free throws. The Clippers would lead 169-167 in double-overtime with a three-pointer by Powell, but Monk would tie the game 169-169 with a driving layup. The Clippers would go up 173-169 with a dunk by Mason Plumlee.

 Sacramento trailed 175-171 with two free throws by Harrison Barnes with 1:46 left in the second overtime period. Monk would make a three-point shot that had the Kings down by one point, 175-174, with 1:21 left on the clock. Fox would give Sacramento a 176-175 lead after pulling up for a jump shot, giving them the victory over the Clippers in a Western Conference shootout.

Despite the loss to the Kings, Westbrook gave Clipper Nation a preview of the things to come, and after he fouled out, the fans gave him a standing ovation.

"Just the ability to be able to go out and compete," Westbrook said of what he will remember from his debut. "I think that's something I don't take for granted, being somewhere [and] given an opportunity to go play. Not just that, but the support of the organization, my teammates, and the fans, overall, it was a great debut but just didn't get the win.

The Clippers will have to do a better job of taking care of the basketball late in games after committing 25 turnovers that led to 42 points for Sacramento. The next game for the Clippers will be this Sunday on the road against the Denver Nuggets.