INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Clippers were riding one of their best stretches of the season heading into Saturday night's matchup against the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome.
A four-game winning streak, a renewed sense of confidence and John Collins returning from a seven-game absence had the building buzzing with momentum.
Then the Kings walked in and ruined the whole thing.
Sacramento beat the Clippers 118-109 in a game that never felt close, and to make things worse, Kawhi Leonard left in the fourth quarter with a sprained left ankle that could sideline him moving forward.
Everything That Could Go Wrong Did
The loss is about as bad as it gets from a big-picture standpoint.
The Kings came in at 16-51, one of the worst records in the entire NBA, and they shot 58.5% from the field while handing the Clippers one of their most disappointing performances in weeks.
Sacramento built a lead as large as 20 points and never looked uncomfortable, racking up 29 assists as a team while getting contributions from everyone in the rotation.
DeMar DeRozan led the way with 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting, and Precious Achiuwa added 25 points and 13 rebounds in a dominant effort on the glass.
Russell Westbrook came back to haunt his former team with a triple-double of 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists while also picking up four steals.
For a Clippers team sitting at 34-33 and clinging to the eighth seed in the Western Conference, this is the kind of loss that can snowball if they are not careful.
Garland and Leonard Shine, But It Wasn't Enough
The bright spot for the Clippers was Darius Garland, who turned in one of his best performances since being traded to Los Angeles.
Garland finished with 25 points, seven assists and three rebounds while shooting 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, and his plus-17 was the best mark on the team by a wide margin.
Kawhi Leonard was even better before leaving the game, pouring in 31 points on 13-of-23 shooting with six rebounds and two steals in just 26 minutes of action.
But Leonard landed awkwardly in the fourth quarter and was immediately pulled from the game, and the Clippers later announced he had been diagnosed with a sprained left ankle.
Leonard has been dealing with ankle soreness on and off since the All-Star break, and another setback at this point in the season is the last thing the Clippers need with 15 games left on the schedule.
Collins Returns, But the Fit Needs Time
John Collins made his return to the court after missing seven straight games with a neck strain that stemmed from a pair of scary falls over a 10-day stretch.
Collins came off the bench for the first time since early November and was on a minutes restriction, and while getting him back is a positive step, it was clear that the Clippers still have work to do when it comes to finding the right rhythm with their full group.
Saturday's game was the first time Collins and Garland played together, and the pick-and-roll potential between the two is something that could pay off down the road if the Clippers can stay healthy long enough to build chemistry.
For now, though, the focus shifts to Monday's home game against the San Antonio Spurs and the hope that Leonard's ankle does not keep him out for an extended stretch during the most important part of the season.