After three straight blowout losses, the Los Angeles Lakers were looking to get back on track on Sunday night when they hosted the Sacramento Kings.
The Lakers remained shorthanded without Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent and Jaxson Hayes in the lineup, but there were still able to handle business, cruising to a 125-101 victory to snap their losing streak and improve to 20-10 on the year.
LeBron James was playing with nice energy to start as he had six early points, including an emphatic dunk to give the Lakers an 8-4 lead. The same can be said for DeMar DeRozan, however, as he always enjoys playing back in L.A. and had eight early points to keep up with James.
When James went to the bench, Luka Doncic picked up the slack offensively with a triple and some free throws. It was a strong first quarter for the Lakers as James returned and beat the buzzer with a jumper to give them a 30-24 lead going into the second.
Nick Smith Jr., who is expected to get an extended look in the rotation in the absence of Reaves, showed what he is capable of with five straight points to begin the second.
Everyone was getting involved for the Lakers as Jarred Vanderbilt hit a triple and Jake LaRavia completed a three-point play. Doncic then found James for a reverse dunk to extend the lead to nine.
Despite DeRozan going to work in the midrange, the Lakers were able to keep the Kings at bay offensively in the first half. After a strong close to the second quarter by Doncic, L.A. went into the locker room with a 68-53 lead.
The Lakers picked up where they left off to begin the third quarter as Doncic, James and Rui Hachimura all connected from deep while they remained locked in defensively to grow their lead.
Smith again came off the bench and brought immediate offense for L.A. as he made his first seven shots. After the Kings beat the buzzer with a triple though, the Lakers took a 99-80 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Lakers had no issues closing out the game in the fourth quarter as LaRavia had another three-point play and then Smith hit a 3 to continue growing the lead. James then added a three-point play of his own before both teams emptied their benches for the night.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers will finish out the calendar year with a tough test against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night before beginning 2026 with back-to-back games against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
