Clippers rookie from the 50th pick helps upset the Warriors

Kobe Sanders, acquired with the Clippers' 50th pick, scored a career-best 20 points and helped Los Angeles beat Golden State 103-102 while Snoop Dogg guest-commented.

The Clippers used a draft-day move to move from the 51st to the 50th pick and selected 6-foot-8 guard Kobe Sanders. Sanders played four years at Cal Poly and used an extra COVID year at Nevada before signing a two-way contract with Los Angeles. Early-season injuries and absences left the Clippers thin on available guards, and Sanders was asked to start. On Monday night he scored a career-best 20 points and helped the Clippers edge the Warriors 103-102 in front of guest commentator Snoop Dogg. Key details: - The Clippers traded the rights to a prior pick to move from No. 51 to No. 50 and selected Kobe Sanders. - Sanders played five college seasons (four at Cal Poly, one at Nevada) and was described as a 6-foot-8 playmaking wing with point guard experience. - He signed a two-way contract and showed promise in team practices despite a rough final summer-league game. - Several Clippers were unavailable for the game, including James Harden (out with right shoulder soreness), Bradley Beal (season-ending hip surgery), Bogdan Bogdanović (hamstring absence), and Chris Paul (dismissed earlier), which increased Sanders' role. - Sanders finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists while the Clippers won 103-102. - Snoop Dogg was a guest commentator for the second half, and the Warriors shot 3-of-24 in the third quarter, a period in which Sanders scored 10 points alone. Summary: Sanders became the first rookie in the Tyronn Lue era to start at least 35 minutes and score 20 points, and his night helped the Clippers break a stretch of clutch-time losses. The team has collected seven wins in the last 17 days and will head out on an Eastern Conference road trip with stops in New York, Brooklyn and Detroit.