The Los Angeles Lakers had no answer for the Sacramento Kings in a 107-120 loss which was the Kings’ fourth victory over the Lakers this season. This was also Domantas Sabonis’ 10th victory in his career over Anthony Davis, improving his record to 10-0. Fans were devastated after the loss.
Final pic.twitter.com/6A9RUhUmlx
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 14, 2024
Fans can’t believe how Domantas Sabonis consistently outplays Anthony Davis.
Sabonis just be punking AD. Ain’t no other word for it. He sends that man flying like a cartoon character.
— KenHeLive (@KenHeLive) March 14, 2024
Fans mocked AD for consistently disappearing against European centers.
Anthony davis vs European centers: pic.twitter.com/Vdx0URhTVS
— Sam Yeezy (@samstaydipped) March 14, 2024
Fans mocked the Lakers for failing to get a statement win.
Me: Man this is a huge game I really hope the Lakers make a statement!
The Lakers:
— GoldenKnight (@GoldenKnightGFX) March 14, 2024
Many fans simply want the season to be over as the Lakers don’t look to be threats anymore.
Been apathetic about this Lakers team for basically the last 2 months. Just not worth the energy or time when their effort level and schemes are so inconsistent #Lakers
— Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT (@3cbPerformance) March 14, 2024
Fans tore into D’Angelo Russell for the exclusive article that came out about him earlier where he claimed to be stealing the show.
"I really have fun out here. For real…And respectfully, my approach is 'All these people came to see AD, LeBron … but I'm stealing the show.'" pic.twitter.com/3DvZ2jDSFl
— Coach Rome (@Rome_Beast) March 14, 2024
Fans placed the blame squarely on the Lakers ‘big three’ of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell.
https://twitter.com/JamesEdrick3/status/1768131452770648330
Fans were disappointed with LeBron’s performance, joking about his age.
LeBron tonight pic.twitter.com/MqUZxgCqU0
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) March 14, 2024
The Lakers were admirably led by Austin Reaves’ 28 points on the night. Anthony Davis scored 22 points with 10 rebounds on poor efficiency, while Rui Hachimura had a strong performance with 20 points. LeBron James was disengaged and inefficient for most of the game, ending with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists. He had a great fourth quarter, but it was too little too late. D’Angelo Russell had a stinker with just 6 points, shooting 2-9.
The Kings won through a team effort, led by Harrison Barnes 23 points, including xx in the fourth quarter. De’Aaron Fox put up 21 points while Keegan Murray had 19 points. Their best player was Domantas Sabonis, who had 17 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists, masterfully navigating his matchup with Davis. The Kings are undefeated with Keon Ellis as a starter, who had 14 points tonight.
The Lakers Won’t Make It To The Top-Six
This loss has solidified my opinion that the Lakers likely finish the season as a Play-In team. They still might have the inherent qualities required on a playoff team, but their regular season inconsistency will not allow them to catch up to teams like the Suns, Kings, and Mavericks. They’re now three games behind the No. 6 seed Kings and No. 7 seed Suns, while the No. 8 Mavericks are 2.5 games ahead.
They’re going to remain in the race mathematically for a few more weeks, but the odds that they can surpass all three teams for the No. 6 seed is unlikely. Even climbing up to eight for the 7-8 Play-In game might be unfeasible for the Lakers. Anything can happen in the NBA, especially with the frequency of injuries picking up in recent weeks, but the Lakers don’t seem solid enough to pull this off.
They have a relatively balanced schedule to end the season, with matchups against the Wolves, Bucks, Cavaliers, Knicks, Pelicans, and Warriors still yet to come. On the other hand, they also have games against the likes of the Raptors, Grizzlies, Nets, and Wizards. Every game is a must-win and this loss shows the Lakers are still yet to find the consistency required to go on a late-season run, especially in this year’s West.
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