Prior to this game, LeBron James' teams had lost thirteen straight games when the man sat out with an injury. That streak was laid to rest tonight as the young Lakers pulled off a fourth quarter comeback to exact revenge against the Sacramento Kings, 114-121.
The Lakeshow was still dealing with the ghosts of their blown game against Sacramento a mere days ago that ended in a Bogdan Bogdanovic buzzer-beater. Early on, it looked like it'd be the De'Aaron Fox show(26 pts, 4 rebs, 7 assists, 3 steals, 12/19 FG) as the phenomenal Kings point guard totally had his way with Lonzo Ball in the first half.
The Lakers all fought through glaring struggles to stay within striking distance and go on an 18-4 run to end the game with a desperately needed W. Standout performers included Josh Hart (22 pts, 7 rebs, 3 assists, 2 steals, 8/14 FG), Kentavious Caldwell Pope (26 pts, 9/21 FG, 5 three's), and especially Brandon Ingram (21 pts, 7 rebs, 9 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 9/13 FG). Ingram really stepped up as the primary facilitator, letting the game come to him in an all-around spectacular performance that included crucial crunch time buckets. Ingram went from being the scapegoat of the Kings loss to the hero in the span of three days.
But real talk, part of this win is owed to Sacramento's inability to hit wide-open shots that would've buried the reeling Lakeshow. I'm talking WIIIIIIDE open. More wide-open than a group of single Kardashians in a club filled with NBA players. Sacramento also failed to convert on a ton of gimme's in their first meeting of the year. These Kings really beat themselves in the couple losses I've seen by them this year. I'm surprised they didn't go to Fox more down the stretch. The man was red-hot! It's the side-effect of fielding a young team though. They'll give up leads at the end of games.
Take a look at the rhythm of the game and takeaways below
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Rhythm Of The Game
First Quarter
The Lakers started out really slow in the first quarter, yet somehow kept it at an even game as we hit the 20-point mark. LA then proceeded to up the ante defensively while receiving a great boost in playmaking from Brandon Ingram. He was doing a superb job actually. He prioritized setting up easy shots like a Tyson Chandler alley-oop off the pick & roll. Some timely contributions from the bench unit (Lance & KCP) saw the Lakers go up by a couple of baskets after one quarter of action, 31-37.
Second Quarter
The Kings are young and perennially underestimated. They have the energy to get right back into the game quicker than most thanks to their age and league-high pace of play. After falling behind early, Sacramento made some pretty plays in transition to grab the narrow lead 41-39. Things were back and forth like a game of pong as both teams traded leads seven times in one and a half quarters of play.
The offense still looked incredibly stagnant for the Lakers. Too much iso-play and time spent dribbling for my liking. When the Lakers get into their half-court sets you could they were lost on what to make of it. Half-court struggles ensued, but even without LeBron the Lakeshow still looked devastating in transition! Josh Hart was particularly scorching, scoring 17 early on a mix of three's and strong plays on the run. It was still anyone's game, Lakers up 55-56 with four minutes to play in the half.
A timeout was called immediately after Josh Hart bucket for his seventeenth point of the game. The Lakers were feeling good despite their miniscule one-point lead. Sacramento made them pay for getting too comfrotable, forcing turnovers off an unfocused Laker squad to quickly steal a four-point advantage.
Turnovers were killing the Lakeshow! Sacramento just capitalized on every opportunity they were presented with. Kudos to them. The score was truly indicative of who played better. Sacramento up four, 68-64. De'Aaron Fox(14 pts, 6 assists, 7/9) was having his way with the usually savvy defense of Lonzo Ball.
Third Quarter
The Lakers unfurled like an old sweater from Goodwill to start the third. Sacramento hopped out to their largest lead yet - and they should've been up by more! The Laker defense was horrific, leaving Sacramento's shooters wide-open along the arc while letting Kings players backdoor them left and right. Somehow the Lakers were only down nine, 81-72.
The Lakers tried to get this thing back on the rails coming out of a timeout. They executed to modest success as we saw them cut it to a five-point game thanks to a bump in defensive effort and smarter play-calling. They always get in trouble when Luke lets the young guys run wild with a structure-less game plan. Not much time later, KCP nailed a three to cap off an 11-0 run and tie it back up at 85-all. Both teams traded blows but the Kings were the ones who emerged on top heading into the fourth, 96-92.
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quickly started off dishearteningly as the Lakers fell down by seven, but it quickly morphed into hope as the team tied it up thanks to more great play from KCP. He had 22 points already and looked like the Lakers only legitimate threat from deep tonight. Still, they just couldn't get over the hump as they shot themselves in the foot with reckless turnovers and lackadaisical defense.
The teams then proceeded to go on an extended scoring drought. It stayed 108-103 Kings lead for what felt like a lifetime. A frustrating night for Laker fans desperate for a win, but an imaginably infuriating one for Kings fans too who wanted their team to just put this one away.
Right before my head was about to explode, the Lakers put up five quick points after a Sac bucket to make it a two-point game, 110-108. An Ingram mid-ranger tied it back up at 110, and then another Ingram triple put them up by 3! 10-0 run for the Lakers with under two minutes to play! KCP drove straight down the middle for a five-point lead 115-110. We had ourselves a ballgame!
And with a huge chance to go ahead, Brandon Ingram turned the ball over at half-court, giving up a breakaway to Iman Shumpert. But Josh Hart stepped up for his fallen brother, coming up huge with a drive down the middle to put them back up by five. Sacramento tossed it to a scrambling D'Aaron Fox who fired up an almost certain triple - but it rimmed out! Touched every part of the rim too. KCP ended up nabbing the board and going to the line for two free throws where he hit both of them (WHAT). The Kings didn't have enough time to mount a comeback after that. Lakers got the much-needed win 114-121.
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Takeaways
I was really impressed with this LeBron-less win. I found myself sitting in a deep puddle of anxiety and frustration 95% of this game because they just looked so awful on both ends. Defensive lapses, horrible misses off wide-open shots, and the fact this would've been the third winnable game in a row we'd potentially lose.
I can't believe the point-total was so high because they just looked so awful in their offensive execution. I guess that's what happens when the teams with the second and third highest paces in the league face off (Sacramento 2nd, Lakers 3rd per Teamrankings.com).
Having JaVale McGee really gave the Lakers a boost tonight. He was under a minutes restriction but his presence alone helped the Lakers fight back when Sacramento tried to push this thing over the edge. His box score was steady(8 pts, 12 rebs, 4/8 FG, 2 steals, 1 block), but it didn't truly paint the picture of his impact. Having a veteran like him back on the floor for 24 minutes was huge.
This win stopped the 2-game bleeding as the Lakers gear up to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday at Staples. The Thunder are 5-5 in their last ten after going on a hot streak earlier this year. In a surprising development, Russell Westbrook has yet to find his scoring touch so Paul George has picked up the slack in an MVP-like fashion. I'm not sure if LeBron will be ready to go for this game, but I'm leaning towards no. The young core can certainly win this one. It'll be a stout test, but given the fact they're playing at home I think they're up for it.
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