Kings fall to LeBron-less Lakers in first game since firing coach Mike Brown
Anthony Davis scored 36 points with 15 rebounds and Austin Reaves added 26 points with a career-high 16 assists as the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers earned a 132-122 victory Sunday, December 29, over the visiting Sacramento Kings, who were playing one day after head coach Mike Brown was fired.
Playing without star LeBron James (illness), while Gabe Vincent (oblique) did not see time in the second half, the Lakers got past the Kings as Rui Hachimura scored 21 points, while rookie Dalton Knecht had 18.
De’Aaron Fox scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter with 12 assists, while DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points for the Kings, who have lost six consecutive games for the first time since an eight-game losing streak in January of 2022.
Sacramento was playing under the guidance of interim head coach Doug Christie.
Malik Monk scored 20 points and Domantas Sabonis had 14 points with 12 rebounds before fouling out as the Kings ended the season series 0-4 against the Lakers, including three defeats in a span of 10 days.
The game was tied 76-76 with 9:32 remaining in the third quarter before the Lakers took charge with a 12-2 run to take an 88-78 lead. Los Angeles closed the third period on a 9-0 run, with five points from Davis, to take a 107-90 lead into the fourth.
The Kings used a 12-0 run in the final quarter to get within 113-105 with 7:28 remaining after a 3-pointer from Fox. Sabonis fouled out with 5:20 remaining and Sacramento ran out of gas down the stretch.
Both teams were red hot from the floor in the first half, with the Lakers taking a 40-31 lead by shooting 73.9 percent in the first quarter and 6 of 8 (75.0 percent) from 3-point range.
The Kings went into halftime with a 66-65 lead after shooting 53.8 percent over the first two quarters, while the Lakers shot 58.5 percent in the half. – Rappler.com