Late addition Kobe Sanders drops career-high 20 as Clippers edge Warriors 103-102
kobe-sanders-career-high-clippers-top-warriors
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Minutes before tipoff Monday night, rookie guard Kobe Sanders learned he would replace the injured James Harden in the Los Angeles Clippers’ starting lineup against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. The 23-year-old responded with a career-best 20 points and seven defensive rebounds across 36 minutes, helping Los Angeles secure a 103-102 victory.
Harden sat out with shoulder stiffness, leaving Sanders and fellow guard Kris Dunn to handle Curry. Curry finished with 27 points but fouled out late, his first disqualification since 2021. “A little bit of relief,” Sanders admitted afterward.
Selected in the second round by the New York Knicks last year and traded to the Clippers on draft night, Sanders has already played significant college basketball — four seasons at Cal Poly followed by an All-Mountain West campaign at Nevada during a COVID-19-granted fifth year. The Spring Valley, California, native said his extensive experience helped calm nerves. “Although I’m a rook, I’ve played a lot of basketball in my life,” he noted.
Sanders added that the coaching staff’s trust let him play freely with Harden unavailable. “They instill a lot of confidence in me, telling me to be aggressive,” he said.
Kawhi Leonard echoed that message during a postgame conversation with rapper Snoop Dogg on Peacock. “I always tell him to keep being aggressive,” Leonard said.
Head coach Tyronn Lue praised Sanders’ poise after a night in which the Clippers committed 20 turnovers without their usual primary ballhandler. “His ability to understand what we’re doing defensively and offensively, and just getting more and more confident,” Lue said.
Forward John Collins called the performance “big time,” pointing to Sanders’ uneven minutes earlier in the season. “Having this start probably shocked him a little bit, but he did exactly what we all expected him to do and proud of him,” Collins said.
The victory pushed Los Angeles to 13-22; the club is 7-3 in its past 10 outings after a recent six-game winning streak. Despite the franchise’s reputation for sparingly using rookies, Sanders said he is focused on consistency. “The NBA is consistency and opportunity,” he said. “I was blessed with the opportunity and I’m just trying to stay consistent.”
Sanders was named not after Lakers icon Kobe Bryant but after Kobe Japanese Steak House near Palm Springs, a favorite retreat for his parents.
Source: ESPN
