The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to build some momentum after a rough patch coming out of the All-Star break and they had a golden opportunity to pick up their second straight win when they hosted the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
Even though the Lakers were in the second night of a back-to-back, the Kings have really been struggling lately and as a result, L.A. came away with a 128-104 victory at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers haven’t blown out a lot of teams this season, but they have on the last two nights as they begin to find their form.
As is usually the case, Luka Doncic led the way for the Lakers despite not having to play heavy minutes once again. He had an efficient 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting to go along with five rebounds, nine assists, one steal and one block. Doncic was making it a point to get his teammates involved early and then looked for his own shot late to put the game out of reach.
After Doncic, LeBron James also had an efficient night offensively for the Lakers. He almost didn’t play in the second night of a back-to-back due to a foot issue but was able to suit up and finished with 24 points, one rebound and five assists. James has been finding his 3-ball in recent games, shooting 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and 8-for-15 overall.
Outside of those two, it was a pretty balanced scoring effort for L.A. due to their exceptional ball movement. Austin Reaves only had 12 points on 3-of-9 shooting but also had five assists and two blocks.
Meanwhile, Deandre Ayton was perfect on the night, making all six of his shot attempts and finishing with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. He has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism lately, so it was nice to see him have a strong game in a Lakers win.
For the second straight game, Luke Kennard led the Lakers off the bench with 11 points and five assists. He has added a different layer to L.A. offense since being acquired at the trade deadline with his ability to both shoot and playmake off the dribble.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena before going out on the road for a tough matchup with the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
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