The Los Angeles Lakers entered their Sunday night matchup against the Sacramento Kings riding a three-game losing streak, the longest of the 2025-26 season.
Head coach JJ Redick noted that the team would be in for an uncomfortable practice following their embarrassing loss to the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day, so all eyes were on the Lakers when the game tipped off on Sunday. Unlike the previous three contests, Los Angeles was active on both ends of the floor. It had been a while since the Lakers looked like the aggressors, so it was a welcomed sight to see them get stops and score almost at will against a porous Kings defense.
Third quarters have also been an issue all season for L.A., but coming out of halftime they looked even more engaged. It wasn’t long before the Lakers blew the game open and they eventually walked away with a dominant 125-101 win to end their losing streak.
Luka Doncic went through a modest dip in scoring the past couple of weeks, but against Sacramento he resembled the player that set the league on fire to begin the season. Doncic was aggressive getting into the paint to score or set up teammates, but in the second quarter he simply couldn’t miss.
The Lakers superstar looked like he was having fun on the court, especially when he knocked down a few deep 3-pointers to put the game away early. Los Angeles is at its best when Doncic is knocking down shots and he didn’t disappoint as his 34 points were a game-high. He also contributed seven assists, five rebounds, three steals and one block in just 33 minutes.
LeBron James enjoyed his final game as a 40-year-old with an exciting performance filled with dunks that make fans forget he’s the oldest player in the NBA. James looked as spry as ever, filling the lanes in transition for lobs or finding space in half court to throw it down.
James’ personal highlight reel got the Crypto.com Arena crowd going and he finished the night with 24 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Redick noted Nick Smith Jr. would be getting more run in the rotation with Austin Reaves and Gabe Vincent out, and the young gun didn’t disappoint as he was an offensive spark plug off the bench. Smith strengthened his case for more minutes with a 21-point outburst.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday in their final game of 2025 before playing the Memphis Grizzlies twice in a row.
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