No LeBron James? No problem! The Los Angeles Lakers registered a convincing 132-122 win over the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday despite James’ absence due to illness. The Lakers needed the likes of Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves to step up in his absence and they did just that.
Davis had 36 points (12-16 FG), 15 rebounds, and eight assists against the Kings. He was a game-high +15 and was just dominant in this one. Davis got plenty of help from Reaves, who finished with 26 points (9-16 FG), six rebounds, and 16 assists. The two ensured the Lakers improved to 18-13 on the season and Lakers fans were thrilled with this win.
“AD owns Sabonis,” a fan claimed Davis now owns Domantas Sabonis.
“Austin Reaves should get some All-Star votes if he keeps this up,” a fan believes Reaves should get All-Star consideration if this keeps up.
“Max Christie, I apologize for my hate towards you. You’ve been playing extremely well as of late in your role. Keep it up,” a fan apologized to Max Christie.
“My MVP,” one fan hailed Davis as his MVP.
“Don’t ever trade AR15,” a fan doesn’t want the team to ever trade Reaves.
Davis and Reaves certainly weren’t the only Lakers worthy of praise in this one. Rui Hachimura had 21 points (7-11 FG), four rebounds, one steal, and two blocks while Max Christie had 16 points (5-8 FG), two assists, two steals, and a block.
Gabe Vincent was the only starter not to score in double digits and that was due to him going down with an oblique strain in the second quarter. Vincent did not return in the second half and it remains to be seen how long he’ll be out for.
Rookie Dalton Knecht played extended minutes in his absence and chipped in with 18 points (6-10 FG), two rebounds, and an assist. There was plenty of credit to go around.
This was a great night for the Lakers but it could have nearly ended in disastrous fashion. Thanks to a dominant third quarter, they were up 113-93 with just over nine minutes left in the fourth but allowed the Kings to get back into the game. The visitors cut the lead down to seven points at one stage but were unable to push through and lost their sixth straight.
This was the Kings’ first game under interim head coach Doug Christie following Mike Brown’s firing. There were some positives to take from this contest, like the fact that the team didn’t quit in the fourth despite being down 20.
De’Aaron Fox’s play was another positive. Fox had 29 points (12-25 FG), five rebounds, 12 assists, four steals, and a block against the Lakers. Domantas Sabonis, meanwhile, had 14 points (6-13 FG), 12 rebounds, and seven assists.
Sabonis was a perfect 10-0 against Davis before this season but the script has now been flipped. With this win, the Lakers swept the season series against the Kings and dropped them to 13-19 on the season.
The Lakers have now won five of their last six games but they’re unlikely to get another win in their next outing. They take on the 27-4 Cleveland Cavaliers at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday at 9 PM ET while the Kings face the Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center on Monday at 10 PM ET.
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