Sacramento, Jackson Knock Out Clippers

SACRAMENTO —  It was close. Then it wasn’t.

Sacramento guard Bobby Jackson took the hopes and dreams of the Clippers and torched them during one sensational burst of energy that carried the Kings to a 107-94 victory Friday before an appreciative sellout crowd of 17,317 at Arco Arena.

“Bobby, Bobby,” the fans chanted as the Kings rocketed away.

The Clippers never knew what hit them after Keyon Dooling made a jump shot that brought them within 70-63 with 2:15 left in the third quarter. The Clippers had been running in place for most of the game after Elton Brand got them off to a solid start by making his first four shots and carrying them to a 12-8 lead.

Jackson made a three-point basket for a 73-63 lead for the Kings. Brand countered with a layup and a free throw after Keon Clark hacked him with 1:40 remaining in the third.

Now it seemed the Clippers were ready to surge, as they did in the fourth quarter and overtime of their 126-118 victory Thursday against the New Jersey Nets at Staples Center.

Never happened. Jackson made another three-pointer, then another, then followed with a sweeping reverse layup after accepting Doug Christie’s 40-foot bounce pass while in full stride.

Suddenly, remarkably, the Kings were ahead by 81-66 with 27 seconds left in the quarter. A taut game had become a blowout in 90 seconds and the Kings were on their way to their ninth consecutive victory over the Clippers at Sacramento.

“[Jackson] was great,” Coach Alvin Gentry said outside the Clipper locker room. “He made tough shots with a hand in his face. He just had one heck of a run.”

Said Brand, who led the Clippers with 25 points and 12 rebounds: “We cut it to seven and it seemed like we had a chance, but Bobby Jackson really took over.”

By game’s end, Jackson scored a career-best 31 points on 12-for-17 shooting, including four-for-seven from behind the three-point arc. Doug Christie added 25 points, giving Sacramento a 56-24 edge over the Clippers’ starting backcourt of Andre Miller and Eric Piatkowski.

Miller, coming off a career-best 37 points against the Nets, missed 11 of 14 shots and sprained his left ankle midway through the third quarter. His status for Sunday’s game against the Indiana Pacers was termed day-to-day by trainer Jasen Powell.

The Kings were without Mike Bibby, out because of a stress fracture in his right foot. He’s scheduled to undergo X-rays Monday and if that goes well he’ll be cleared to begin light running.

At the moment, the Kings have only eight healthy bodies, four bricks shy of the usual 12-man load.

In addition to Bibby, they also were without Peja Stojakovic (foot), Hedo Turkoglu (wrist), Mateen Cleaves (foot) and Scot Pollard (back). What’s more, Chris Webber came down with flu-like symptoms and wasn’t effective early against Brand. Webber would score 16 points in 29 minutes.

“They’re not undermanned,” Gentry insisted when it was suggested that the Clippers weren’t catching the Kings at their best. “They’ve got Chris Webber, Bobby Jackson, Doug Christie and Vlade Divac. They’re not undermanned.”