LOS ANGELES • Paul George has come a long way since his rookie season 10 years ago.

He was barely a threat from beyond the three-point line when he broke into the National Basketball Association (NBA), but he is now among the league leaders in long-distance shooting.

The guard will try to keep his three-point accuracy trending upwards when his Los Angeles Clippers visit the Sacramento Kings today (Singapore time).

George is shooting 51.6 per cent from beyond the three-point arc after making 5-for-9 in a 111-106 win over the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. He is 15-for-24 from long distance in his past three games.

As a rookie with the Indiana Pacers in 2010-11, George shot just 29.7 per cent from three-point range. He never shot better than 41 per cent over a season until making 41.2 per cent of his three-pointers last season.

"Just shooting it with confidence and really just knowing the shots I'm going to get," George said. "I know what to look for, I know what to expect, I know how the shots are coming."

The shots have not been falling for Buddy Hield of the Kings.

Hield, who has been among the team's top three scorers all four seasons in the league, had another off night on Wednesday in a 132-126 loss to the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.

Hield, who has taken 75 per cent of his shots from three-point range this season, finished 9-for-21 from the floor against Portland, the 11th time in 12 games he failed to make at least half his field-goal attempts.

"I'm not going to shoot terrible like this for the rest of the season," he said. "It's a long season. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon."

Defending the three-point line has also been a soft spot for the Kings this season. Opponents are shooting 38.9 per cent from beyond the arc against Sacramento, the seventh worst in the NBA.

The Trail Blazers tied a team record by making 23 against the Kings in 48 attempts.​

The Clippers are leading the league in three-point accuracy at 42.9 per cent, but coach Tyronn Lue still sees plenty of areas to improve.

A win against Sacramento would give Los Angeles their first three-game winning streak this term.

"We've just got to make sure we're just taking advantage of every day, every game, every practice and trying to get better," Lue said.

Sacramento will be playing the sixth game of a seven-game home spell. They have not taken advantage of the long stretch, winning just two of the five games so far.

They have also failed to protect a few sizeable leads, most recently a 20-point cushion against Portland.

"That's the NBA," Kings coach Luke Walton said. "The elite teams find ways to finish those off and that's what we're building toward(s). We're not there yet."

REUTERS