The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be in much better condition now than they were just last week. The squad had failed to produce back-to-back victories since their six-game winning streak last month, posting an abysmal 3-8 record in the subsequent three weeks.
But since superstar LeBron James rejoined the roster from his personal leave, Los Angeles has been injected with new life and hasn’t lost since. Last night, the Lakers took their second straight game in California’s capital, defeating the Sacramento Kings 103-99 to record their third straight win.
LeBron James commanded the Lakers’ offense
Leading the charge for the Lakers’ offense was James, who added 34 minutes to his all-time record and stuffed the stat sheet with 32 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. The 39-year-old scored 23 in the first half alone, headlined by a spinning, two-handed poster on Isaac Jones in the first quarter.
“I just wanted to seize the opportunity,” James told reporters when asked about his offensive approach. “We had an opportunity to get two quality wins on the road in a hostile environment against a really good team, a team that we have not had much success with over the last couple of years. And I just tried to seize the opportunity and breathe energy into my teammates.”
Anthony Davis continued to struggle offensively, mustering just 10 points on 4/10 from the floor, but the team’s guards picked up the slack. D’Angelo Russell added 20 points off the bench and Austin Reaves pitched in 16 with two clutch free throws that iced the game.
The deciding factor for Los Angeles was their defense
On the opposite end, Los Angeles did an incredible job thwarting the Sacramento offense for the second straight game. The Lakers held the Kings – a team with the fifth-most efficient offense in the league – to just 43% shooting from the field and 27% from beyond the arc.
Star guard De’Aaron Fox put up 31, but no other King managed to cross the 20-point threshold due to the Lakers’ defensive aggression, which came together to ward off Sacramento’s late-game surge.
James clogged the passing lanes with four steals while Cam Reddish and Max Christie swiped two apiece. Los Angeles also tallied six blocks with Davis accounting for half and Reddish swatting a pair as well.
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Over the two-game sweep of Sacramento, the Lakers held the Kings to 100 points or fewer in both games. Their defense, which has been a central concern this season, has been the NBA’s seventh-best in the month of December. In their last four outings, they’ve boasted the most elite coverage in the entire league.
“Everything that we’re doing defensively, we’ve been physical, we’re talking, we’re communicating, we’re covering for one another,” Davis said in his post-game interview. “We’re rebounding. Our coverage is on point. So we’re just flying around doing everything, being gritty, playing desperate on the defensive end.”
The Lakers ended their road trip with a record of 16-12 and jumped to fifth place in the Western Conference. They’ll next head home to Hollywood for a Monday night matchup with the Detroit Pistons.
