The Los Angeles Lakers faced their second straight game without one of their star players. Last time out, the squad watched their star big man Anthony Davis limp back to the locker room after rolling his ankle in the first quarter against the Warriors.
Los Angeles — propelled by a “next man up” mentality and some Christmas magic — found a way to get the job done against Golden State. But on Saturday night, the Lakers marched into battle without their floor general, LeBron James, who was sidelined due to illness.
They did so against the Sacramento Kings, a team they’d already seen three times this season and twice in their last four outings. The back-to-back losses Los Angeles handed Sacramento on their home court last week added fuel to the firing of their head coach Mike Brown.
Under the rule of interim coach Doug Christie, the reeling Kings wanted nothing more than to snap their five game skid against the team responsible for 40% of it. And if the LeBron-less Lakers wanted to ward off the effort and defend their home court, it would require an army.
The Lakers executed their offensive game plan to a tee
As coach JJ Redick alluded to after the game, the Lakers have put a massive emphasis on ball movement over the last week. He told reporters, “We want to run, we want to pass and we want to screen.”
Last night saw the Lakers execute their vision to perfection on their way to a 132-122 victory over the Kings. The team racked up 33 assists, tying their season-high, which allowed them to space the floor for a plethora of quality looks.
Los Angeles shot a highly efficient 59.7% from the floor (46-77) and connected on 53.8% of their looks from downtown (14-26), both of which were season-high marks. The team also continued to hammer the ball inside, getting to the line for 33 free throw attempts –and connecting on 26 – to Sacramento’s 15.
In his post-game interview, Davis told reporters that teamwork gave Los Angeles the edge over their opponent:
“Playing together, having great offense, guys are flying around, cutting hard, screening hard, doing what we’re supposed to be doing,” Davis said. “The ball was poppin’. … The offense was good, cleaned up some things in the first quarter and guys were making shots and that helps with the assists. We were getting to the line. We were just playing for each other.”
Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves led the charge for Los Angeles
Filling the shoes of James was no easy task, but multiple Lakers took it upon themselves to do their part and then some.
Davis bounced back from his ankle injury with one of his most complete games of the season. The 31-year-old led the team with 36 points on 75% shooting (12-16 FG), grabbing 15 rebounds and dishing out eight assists. The big man went straight at fellow All-Star Domantas Sabonis, who scored just 14 points (6-13 FG) before fouling out in 26 minutes.
Perhaps the biggest standout for Los Angeles was Austin Reaves, who has come to embody the “next man up” mentality over the last two games. With Davis hurt on Christmas, the guard recorded his first career triple-double. With James out of the lineup on Saturday, Reaves scored 26 points (9-16 FG, 3-4 3PT) while dishing out a career-high 16 assists.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Reaves explained that his primary focus on offense is to “create an advantage,” and it doesn’t matter if it’s for him or his teammates: “We want to have teams scrambling as much as possible. I think that’s how you have big quarters.”
The Lakers got major contributions from their bench unit
Additionally, Rui Hachimura recorded 21 points (7-11 FG, 4-5 3PT), Dalton Knecht added 18 off the bench (6-10 FG, 2-5 3PT), and Max Christie continued to thrive in the starting role with 16 points (5-8 FG, 3-5 3PT).
For Sacramento, De’Aaron Fox led the team with 29 points and 12 assists, but Los Angeles minimized the damage by holding him to just 11.1% from beyond the arc (1-9).
- Shorthanded Lakers complete season sweep of Kings
- Lakers and Warriors provide Christmas Day classic fueld by ‘NBA OGs’
- Lakers’ comeback falls short at the buzzer against Detroit Pistons
With the win, Los Angeles improved to 18-13 and completed the four-game season sweep over Sacramento, who fell to 13-19 after their sixth straight loss. Having won five of their last six games, the Lakers stand at fifth in the Western Conference.
The team doesn’t appear too concerned by James’ illness, and they anticipate Jaxon Hayes will soon return to the lineup after missing 14 games with an ankle sprain. The returns couldn’t come at a better time, as they’ll need all the help they can get when they welcome the league-best Cleveland Cavaliers to Crypto.com Arena on New Year’s Eve.
