The Los Angeles Lakers were outclassed by the Sacramento Kings 120-130 in a devastating loss at home with major seeding consequences. The Lakers were up 30-13 early in the game but fell apart in the second quarter, entering halftime with a 15-point deficit at 57-72, getting outscored by 24 points in the second quarter.
Fans are embarrassed and furious at the result.
Final pic.twitter.com/Yc9E3b7Cfr
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 7, 2024
Fans were quick to come after Darvin Ham.
https://twitter.com/LOLL________/status/1765596923623543120
Fans weren’t surprised that the Lakers managed to blow a 17-point lead in a single quarter.
How to win and lose a game in a single quarter…
Only the Lakers
— Ry (@JustRyCole) March 7, 2024
Fans were upset about the poor rotational decisions and over-reliance on Taurean Prince by Darvin Ham, criticizing the Lakers coach.
where’s rui
where’s austin
why is taurean still in
figure it out darvin
— Coach Rome (@Rome_Beast) March 7, 2024
Fans also came after Anthony Davis for a very disappointing performance.
LAKERS ARE TRASH ITS OVER pic.twitter.com/FOuQ9YkMUj
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) March 7, 2024
LeBron’s attempts to keep the Lakers in the game didn’t go unappreciated by fans.
here come LeBron in YEAR 21 AGE 39 tryna force the Lakers back into the game BY HIMSELF 🤦🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/espdTonWfH
— ♕𝕕𝕒𝕧𝕠𓅓 (@shpillo_) March 7, 2024
Fans think the Lakers’ hopes of being a top-eight seed are over after this game.
https://twitter.com/okcamar/status/1765616927920320885
This was a massive loss for the Lakers, who fall further back of the top-six while officially losing their head-to-head season series with the Kings.
This will be quite a consequential loss for the Lakers, who instead of pulling within a half game of Sacramento for the No. 7 seed and tying Dallas at No. 8, will fall 4 games back of the Kings in the loss column, 2.5 back overall, and lose the season tiebreaker to the Kings.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 7, 2024
The Lakers saw LeBron James try to force a win with 31 points and 13 assists, with Rui Hachimura doing his part with 29 points. Anthony Davis was a massive letdown, scoring just 14 points on 5-13 shooting. Despite the Lakers’ theoretical size advantage, the Kings not only matched their physicality but also comfortably out-rebounded them.
The Kings had a sensational De’Aaron Fox performance lead them, as he dropped 44 points. Domantas Sabonis played solid defense on AD while putting up 12 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists. Former Laker Malik Monk torched them off the bench, scoring 26 points while dropping eight assists.
The Lakers Blew A Massive Opportunity
This loss came at the worst possible time for the Lakers. With a win over the Kings, they would have found themselves tied with the No. 8 seeded Mavericks and get within half a game of the No. 7 seeded Kings. Instead, they find themselves in the No. 10 spot with this loss, falling further behind Dallas and Sacramento while Golden State picked up a massive win over the Bucks to take the No. 9 seed.
Even if the Lakers make it into the play-in tournament, the result of that won’t be as exciting as many are hoping. They did make a great run to the WCF last year, but the strength of the West this season is far improved. They’d need a favorable matchup just to have a chance at making the second-round if they can even get out of the play-in at all.
Darvin Ham’s job is under massive threat. Despite their success since February, the Lakers haven’t been able to move up the standings because of the consistency of other teams ahead of them. They have a shot at making the No. 6 seed if they replicate what they achieved last year, but that scenario is looking unlikely.
They have the eight-toughest schedule in the NBA, with their rivals like the Mavericks, Kings, and Warriors having easier schedules. It’s now or never for the Lakers and especially Darvin Ham, as he won’t be able to justify being the head coach if they fail to make the playoffs this year.
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