The Los Angeles Lakers are officially the hottest team in the league after tonight’s impressive home victory against the Sacramento Kings. The 131-127 win, which counts as the third straight for the Lakers, is the latest victory in an undefeated season that currently has the Lakers as the top team in the West.
After Anthony Davis led the way in the first two games, LeBron James stepped it up tonight as the leading scorer with a 32-point triple-double. He was 12-22 from the floor with 14 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1 block. Anthony Davis had 31 points (10-15 FG) and 9 rebounds while Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell each had 16 apiece. Rui Hachmiura stepped in to drop 18 points on the wing, going 5-13 in 37 minutes.
Fresh off signing former Bulls veteran DeMar DeRozan, the Kings had high hopes for this season and they have dreams of making a deep playoff run with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Tonight, the usual formula was not enough, even with Sabonis dropping 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists to lead a late fourth-quarter push. Fox contributed 28 points (9-20 FG) and 10 assists in the backcourt, DeMar DeRozan was solid with 23 points, three assists and three steals, while Malik Monk led all bench scorers with 14 points on 42.9% shooting.
It was a tight game for most of the way through, but the Kings took a 7-point lead at halftime that put the Lakers on their heels. It wasn’t until the final minute that the game blew open due to hot shooting from the Lakers, which helped give them the edge in the final score.
Here are three other key takeaways from this latest Lakers victory:
LeBron James Can Turn It On In The Clutch
No doubt, this was LeBron’s finest performance of the season and perhaps the greatest game ever for any 39-year-old athlete. As the second half kicked in and the Lakers struggled to gain any traction, LeBron took it upon himself to take over and what followed was an impressive display of greatness.
The King scored 16 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter alone, going 6-6 from the field and 3-3 on three-pointers along with 6 assists and 5 rebounds. LeBron was doing everything down the stretch and it was enough to push the Lakers ahead with a narrow victory.
James, who turns 40 in December, is already a walking piece of history as a 4x champion, 4x MVP, and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer at 39 years old. Yet, somehow, he still has enough left in him for games like tonight, where he almost singlehandedly swung the trajectory of the match. It’s proof that as long as LeBron is healthy and active, his team can never be counted out.
All Five Starters In Double Figures
Depth has been a common problem for the Lakers over the years and their roster outside the top three or four has historically been very hit-or-miss. But new head coach JJ Redick is finding new ways to maximize his guys and the role-players are suddenly delivering much better games.
Against the Kings, all five Lakers starters hit double-digit scoring totals including LeBron James (31 points), Rui Hachimura (18 points), Anthony Davis (31 points), Austin Reaves (16 points), and D’Angelo Russell (16 points). It was a well-rounded effort that highlights the Lakers’ new and improved playstyle.
Unlike in years past, coach JJ Redick wants the Lakers to play a brand of selfless, team-oriented basketball and it’s unlocked a new level of chemistry between the players. With 32 assists tonight, the Lakers have figured out a way to get everyone involved and it’s made them a much harder team to beat.
Sloppy Turnovers Leave Room For Improvement
Even in a win, the Lakers probably aren’t feeling great about how they handled the ball tonight. They finished with 19 turnovers as a team and were very sloppy with the ball with bad passes and ugly mistakes. Unfortunately, the trend hasn’t just been exclusive to this game, either.
Since the start of the season, the Lakers have struggled to avoid needless turnovers but many fans expect it to get better as the season goes on. As head coach JJ Redick installs his system, the players will grow accustomed to his plays and his style, and it’ll become much easier to limit mistakes.
Tonight, we saw the growing pains of a team that’s still figuring some things out but it’s great news considering they have yet to be beaten. If the Lakers look this strong now, so early on in the process, imagine where they’ll be by the spring, after months of learning and working with JJ Redick.
If the Lakers can clean up the turnovers and tighten up on defense, they could prove to be a real threat in the West and a potential challenge to the top title contenders. Clearly, they struck gold with the Redick and rookie sharpshooter Dalton Knecht but the hard work is only just the beginning of leading this Lakers team to their maximum potential.
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