Rookie Kobe Sanders finished with a team high in scoring, leading the LA Clippers to a 106-103 win over the Golden State Warriors on the road in their preseason finale.
Sanders produced 25 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in 37 minutes of action on Friday at the Chase Center. He finished by shooting 8 of 15 from the field, including 4 of 9 from 3-point range, as the Clippers finished 3-1 in the preseason.
With James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Chris Paul among the players who sat in the contest, Sanders saw his largest workload of the preseason. He had his outside shot working, while he also converted several tough finishes at the rim through contact.
“I think the main mindset was defense,” Sanders told KLAC-AM after the game. “I knew the matchup I had guarding Steph Curry is a tough matchup, so going into the game knowing my mindset is on the defensive end and just feeding off that.”
Sanders was an All-Mountain West third-team selection last season at Nevada, averaging 15.8 points, 4.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals. He played the first four years of his career at Cal Poly, earning an All-Big West honorable mention during the 2023-24 season
The 50th pick in the draft finished the preseason averaging 11 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists on 42.9% shooting from 3-point range in three appearances. His 25-point effort on Friday was tied for the second-highest by a rookie this preseason.
Sanders will split time this season between the NBA and G League on a two-way contract. He had a unique path to land with the Clippers through two mid-major programs, but he wants to show future players that anything is possible with hard work and determination.
“It don’t matter what level you’re at, it don’t matter where you come from, if you put your mind to it, you put the work in, you can come out here and hoop,” Sanders said. “I think I’m putting on for all of the low-majors, all of the mid-majors out there that get overlooked. I think that the main message is that the work is going to pay off.”