(Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Clippers hope to build on just their second win of the season when they celebrate Thanksgiving Day by welcoming Pacific Division rival Sacramento to Staples Center. The Clips snapped a lengthy losing streak to New Orleans on Monday when Eric Gordon scored 27 points and hit two game-sealing free throws with 4.7 seconds left, as Los Angeles topped the Hornets, 99-95, in the middle contest of a three-game homestand.
Rookie of the Year candidate Blake Griffin added 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers, who halted a 14-game skid to the Hornets and a nine-game losing streak coming in. The last Los Angeles win against New Orleans came on January 8, 2007, when the Hornets were displaced to Oklahoma City due to Hurricane Katrina.
"We weren't smooth at the end, but we got it done," said Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro. "Give my guys credit, they played hard. A great win for us. I'm happy for the guys."
Al-Farouq Aminu contributed with 16 points, while DeAndre Jordan had 12 for Los Angeles, which prevailed despite shooting 17-of-34 from the free throw line and improved to 2-13 on the year, their worst start to a season since beginning the 1998-99 campaign a dismal 0-17.
The Kings, meanwhile, lost for the eighth time in nine games on Monday in Salt Lake City when C.J. Miles scored 20 points in a little under 24 minutes of action to spark the Utah Jazz to a 94-83 victory over Sacramento.
Rookie DeMarcus Cousins posted 18 points and nine rebounds for the Kings, who also got 12 points from Carl Landry. Star swingman Tyreke Evans finished with just 11 on 3-of-12 shooting.
"We really kind of just let the flow of the game and the situation of the game get to us and we got out of sync," Cousins said. "We didn't match their physicality and we got outplayed tonight."
Sacramento has won three straight over the Clips and seven of the past nine meetings. LA, meanwhile, hasn't won consecutive games since a three-game winning streak from Feb. 20-24 of last season.
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