Despite scoring 30 points in the fourth quarter alone, the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Sacramento Kings 110-125. The loss came 24 hours after their stellar 134-107 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Forward LeBron James secured a triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Guard D’Angelo Russell matched James with 28 points. Guard Austin Reaves made 11 rebounds and center Anthony Davis made four blocks.
Although Davis paces the league with 3.4 blocks per game and total blocks with 37 as of Wednesday, fans and sports pundits may use his offensive performance during this matchup to question his overall abilities. However, his teammates champion his efforts and skills.
“You got to realize teams come in here and try to take [Davis] out the game,” Russell said. “If they do a good job, which may happen sometimes, it forces other guys to step up.”
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Reaves also expressed the importance of stepping up if Davis struggles offensively.
“I think everybody else around [Davis] can do more to help [Davis],” Reaves said. “Not that he necessarily needs it but just to make his life easier.”
Three Kings players scored over 25 points with center Domantas Sabonis scoring 29 points. He also led with 16 rebounds.
The Kings capitalized off the Lakers’ slow start, shooting 53.6 percent from the field in the first quarter. Sacramento had six three-pointers in that time.
“It’s pretty hard, damn near impossible to get your defense set up with a young team like that that’s predicated on playing fast, running fast, take advantage of opportunities like that,” said Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. “Those self-inflicted wounds really hurt us early.”
The Lakers found runs throughout the second quarter with James landing an array of shots, ultimately scoring 14 points in the phase. Yet Sabonis and Fox shot with accuracy, they scored a combined 25 points in the second quarter.
By the half, the Kings were ahead 72-59. Effective three-point shooting kept the Kings’ lead strong, they led by as much as 25 points.
As the fourth phase commenced, the Purple and Gold intensified their defensive aggression. They forced four turnovers in a little over two regulated minutes. Forward Cam Reddish spearheaded the defensive effort, he ultimately scored 16 points and five steals in the matchup.
“We switched up our defense, went into a zone—which helped slow them down a little bit—and we were able to make shots on the other end,” Ham said. “Whenever we get stops, we take care of the ball, we’re usually fine.”
Reddish and Russell were the only two players in the phase that sank three-pointers, the Lakers shot at 60 percent from the field.
“We’re gonna continue to fight, [we] made a push and then hit some missed shots and a couple turnovers late,” Davis said. “We’re not a quitting team.”
The Lakers now have a 6-6 record and look on to playing another In-Season Tournament game on Friday against the Portland Trailblazers on November 17 at 7:00P.M.
