SACRAMENTO -- Chris Paul's return to the lineup Friday helped the Los Angeles Clippers' dismal final week of December seem that much further away in the rear view.

The team's gutty 106-98 win over the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center helped quite a bit too.

Rivers followed up his season-high 28 points from the Clippers' Jan. 4 win over Memphis with a 24-point night, and Paul scored 14 points and logged 12 assists -- including six in the fourth quarter -- while also moving to 10th on the all-time NBA assists list. The win was the third in a row for the Clippers (25-12), a much-needed streak after they had dropped six straight from Dec. 23-31.

"We know there's no excuses, but we haven't been healthy," Paul said. "I'm just happy to be back on the court to be able to help the team. I don't even know what our record is now. But for us, it's about making sure we're playing the right way and piling up wins."

The Clippers used a huge second period to slingshot them into the lead, and they'd never trail again. There would be just one tie in the second half, 73-73 with 1:34 left in the third period, and the Kings would get as close as one point just once in the fourth.

Sacramento (15-21) trailed 100-98 with 40 seconds to go, but Paul managed to steal an interior pass from DeMarcus Cousins intended for Rudy Gay. He was fouled and then proceeded to score the game's final six points from the free throw line. Paul also had six rebounds.

Paul's historic pass went to a cutting Luc Mbah a Moute for a dunk with 6:15 left in third quarter. It marked his 7,988th career assist and moved him past Rod Strickland.

"That's an honor and a privilege and I think that says a lot about my teammates and my coaches over the years," Paul said. "When I first came into the league my goal was to pass John Stockton in steals and assists. No chance. I missed 18 games my second year in the league with an ankle injury. That went out the window then."

The Kings, who have been fighting lethargic starts recently, had no such troubles to open Friday's contest. Sacramento shot 50 percent from the field and never trailed en route to a 29-19 lead after one period.

Then the second period happened.

Los Angeles blitzed Sacramento, outscoring the Kings 34-12 behind the outside shooting of Rivers and JJ Redick. The guard tandem combined for 20 points in the period and four of the team's five 3-pointers during the frame. Rivers finished the first half with 18 points and Redick had 11. Redick would finish with 19.

"We got on everybody at the beginning of the game because we were just wanting to shoot 3s," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "Then we started attacking and let the 3s come to us and everybody got their rhythm."

It was a transition 3-pointer by Rivers that delivered the game's first tie, 34-34 with 6:49 left in the half. That basket, and Paul's go-ahead jumper at the 5:14 mark, were part of a 28-5 run that ended on a Redick 3-pointer and boos from the Golden 1 faithful.

Marresse Speights came off the bench to grab seven of his 11 rebounds during the Clippers big second period. There were plenty of rebounds to be had, too, as the Kings shot just 3 of 20 from the field.

"There were times where our lack of not seeing the ball go in affected some of the other parts of our game," Kings coach Dave Joerger said. "We had a tough stretch there in the second quarter."

Despite the late turnover, Cousins delivered a strong all-around game with 25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. Gay started and played in just his second game since Dec. 12, a span of 12 games. He provided a nice offensive spark for the Kings, especially during the team's strong first- and third-period efforts, and finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds.

NOTES: Clippers All-Star Chris Paul returned to the lineup for the first time since a Dec. 28 game at New Orleans. It ended a stretch of four games missed due to a sore left hamstring. He missed three previous games from Dec. 23-26 due to a strain in the muscle. He ended up playing 31 and a half minutes ... L.A.'s Blake Griffin remained sidelined for an 11th game following an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee. ... Kings C DeMarcus Cousins entered the game coming off of his lowest scoring output of the season, 13 points in 32 minutes during a 107-102 loss to visiting Miami on Jan. 4. It was only the fifth time in 34 games the All-Star was held under 20. ... The Clippers began the night with eight straight victorious trips to the state capital, not having lost since March 19, 2013.