Even without LA star LeBron James, the Lakers secured a win against the Sacramento Kings 117 – 92.
The absence of LeBron was hardly felt on the short travel to the Cali capital on Tuesday, the Lakers having little issues beating the hosts 117 – 92 and climbing over the 0.500 record at 12-11 on the season. The pregame talk was all about James, who was announced the day prior to have entered the NBA’s COVID protocol and will miss a few games, until he is allowed back on the team. The news was yet another blow for the Lakers, who have had their star on and off throughout the season with various injuries, and LA has struggled to get this season going in any direction.
Compounding the nervousness of the LA fans was the fact that just a few days ago the Kings came and beat the Lakers at home in overtime, and that was with James back on the roster. This was not the case on Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center, however. The Lakers came out with the desire to prove that the team is more than just LeBron and while Sacramento is not the best the Western Conference has to offer, sitting at #11 on the table with 8-14 record, the Kings kept the first half of the NBA game interesting.
And while the game did not start the way the Lakers would’ve wished, the team rallied and had no problem securing the road win on Tuesday night. The Kings were the more dominant team right off the gate, securing an 8-point lead in the first quarter. LA’s defense was lacking in the second quarter, as well, allowing the Kings to score 31 points and increase their lead to 9 points at half time.
Frank Vogel must have laid down the law in the locker room, because the Lakers team that came out for the second half of the game was a complete opposite to what we’ve witnessed in the half. Strong pressure from AD and Westbrook saw Sacramento’s defense fall apart and the Lakers took the third quarter 37-15, not only erasing the prior deficit, but taking a 13-point lead. LA didn’t let off in the final, either, scoring 30 points against Sacramento’s 18 to close the game with the 117 – 92 statement.
Anthony Davis was all over the Golden 1 Center court on Tuesday, scoring 25 points with 7 rebounds and 3 assists, while Russell Westbrook went for 23 points with 5 rebounds and 6 assists. A pleasant surprise was off-the-bench point guard Malik Monk, who netted 22 points and finished the game with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Carmelo Anthony saw 19 minutes of game time and scored 14 points.
While the outcome of the game against the Sacramento Kings pushed the Lakers on the positive side of 0.500, a couple of though home games are int he cards for LA. The Lakers will face off local rival Clippers on Friday, followed by a visit from the Boston Celtics. While many are hopeful that LeBron may be back for the Celtics game, he will almost certainly miss the derby against the Clips, which is making this game quite unpredictable and the sportsbooks are holding off posting odds on it until game-day.
