The Sacramento Kings are hoping that by reducing turnovers and fouls, they can improve their chances in a rematch with the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday afternoon in Sacramento.
In their last game against the Lakers on Thursday, the Kings lost 113-100 despite Austin Reaves scoring 25 points, Anthony Davis 21, and LeBron James 19. The biggest factors in the Lakers’ win were the turnovers and fouls. The Lakers turned 17 Kings turnovers into 24 points and scored 25 points from 21 Sacramento fouls, including a technical.
This gave the Lakers a big advantage, winning 49-24 in those areas. Even though the Kings shot better overall (45.1% to 40.4%) and from three-point range (37.9% to 36.4%), they still lost.
Kings coach Mike Brown pointed out that the reasons for the loss were clear, so he didn’t need to yell at the team. “They know exactly what we have to do. It’s whether or not we go do it. (Thursday), we didn’t go do it,” Brown said. “Somehow, someway, it starts with me. Somehow, someway, I’ve got to figure out how to get them to do it. If need be, I’ve got to find somebody else that can do it.”
The loss was Sacramento’s second straight at home after they won three in a row, including two on the road. The Kings are looking to make the most of a stretch of nine games, with only one on the road, during the holiday season.
One more key moment in the Lakers’ win was LeBron James playing 34 minutes, allowing him to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leader in minutes played with 57,471. In comparison, the Kings’ active leader in minutes played is DeMar DeRozan with 39,276.
“It’s just a commitment to the craft and to the passion and love I have for the game,” James said after the game. He also had seven assists and six rebounds in the win. Anthony Davis contributed 19 rebounds, helping the Lakers dominate the boards 53-43.
The Lakers’ depth was another important factor. Although bench scoring had been a concern for the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell scored 16 points and Gabe Vincent added 12, giving Los Angeles a 30-19 advantage in bench scoring.
“I really felt like this might be my favorite win we’ve had all season,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said. “We had so many different contributions at different times.”
For the Kings, bench scoring has been an issue since Malik Monk moved into the starting lineup on Dec. 1. While Monk has averaged 18.0 points in those eight games, the Sacramento bench has contributed just 24.8 points per game.
De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 26 points in Thursday’s loss.
