Lakers dethrone Kings in fifth straight win.
SACRAMENTO — The Lakers sit on the throne after dethroning the Kings in a back-and-forth scoring battle, beating Sacramento 136–134 for their fifth straight win and improving their season record to 19–21.
“Seventy points in the paint. That’s who we are. We want to play fast, physical, and free with force,” said head coach Darvin Ham.
Thanks to 71 points scored in the paint, the Lakers finish with a season-high 61% total from the field, going 50-for-81.
The Lakers AGAIN came into this matchup without key players in the lineup, still missing Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker IV, Troy Brown Jr., and Anthony Davis due to injuries, making this current five-game win streak all the more impressive.
Finishing with a game-high 37 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, the never-aging LeBron came in clutch for Los Angeles with a go-ahead and-1 bucket with 48.1 seconds left to put the Lakers up by one.
DeAaron Fox then answered the tough task of tying the game further down the stretch with a nice fadeaway from the free-throw line to tie the game at 134 with 6.8 seconds left.
With 6.8 seconds left, the Kings forced someone besides LeBron to have the ball in their hands, with Dennis Schröder stepping up to the task, drawing a foul, and knocking both free throws down to win it after a missed final attempt half-court heave from DeAaron Fox.
Schröder finished with 27 points on 4-for-5 (80%) shooting from behind the arc while going 8-for-11 (72%) total from the floor, notching 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 38 minutes.
The always-energetic Thomas Bryant continued his marvelous run with an infectious spark for the Lakers, scoring a season-high 29 points on 12-for-14 (85%) shooting from the field with 14 rebounds in 34 minutes of action.
“One of the most skilled bigs in this game. He catches everything. He finishes everything around the rim, but he also has a soft touch from the midrange and the 3-point line,” said LeBron of Thomas Bryant. "He just has a huge motor that’s always going on both sides of the floor.”
The potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate continued to make his case for the award, finishing with 50% (7-for-14) shooting from the field along with 23 points, 15 assists, 5 rebounds, and a block in 33 minutes off the bench.
The Lakers will continue their road trip against the 26–13 Denver Nuggets this Monday at 6:00 PM on Spectrum SportsNet.
