Lakers lose to lowly Kings, say poor shooting to blame
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Lakers blamed their own poor shooting for Monday's 124-112 loss to the unfortunate Sacramento Kings, following a historically poor performance by their 3-point defense.After the game, LeBron James remarked, "I think we played solid defense." "They made a lot of 3s, S---. We didn't make many shots tonight; it was just one of those instances.
According to ESPN Insights, the Kings shot 17-for-26 on 3-pointers, and their 65.4% allowed rate in a game is the lowest in Lakers history while defending at least 25 3-point tries.
DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 32 points on 14-for-19 shooting, but all of his makes were 2-point field goals. Former Lakers guards Malik Monk (26 points, 7-for-9 from 3) and Russell Westbrook (22 points, 4-for-8 from 3) did the most damage from deep.
Meanwhile, the Lakers shot just 8-for-36 from 3 -- a number that looked even worse before Bronny James went 2-for-2 from beyond the arc in the final two minutes with the game already out of reach.
"Had 50 potential assists tonight, we converted on 21 of those," Lakers coach JJ Redick said, referring to the team's internal analytics. "This has been the theme. It has been the theme. So, we just got to keep shooting, I guess."
It was the Lakers' third straight loss and seventh in their past 11 games, dropping them to 23-14 -- fifth in the Western Conference.
Redick was questioned prior to the game about how to inspire Los Angeles to defeat Sacramento, who had a 9–30 record and were ranked 14th in the West.Redick stated, "We don't consider any game to be a walkover.
There were some pregame indicators to the contrary.
Instead of footage from the most recent Lakers-Kings game on December 28, L.A. had the NFL playoff game between the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers on the TV in the locker room.
And more than half of the 13 players in uniform were not on the court for the national anthem and pregame lineup introductions, leaving the bench players who were out there to mimic as if they were the starters being announced.
One of those players, Rui Hachimura, was off the injury report after sitting out the past six games because of a right calf issue but did not play against the Kings.
Redick explained that he decided to save the 27-year-old forward for Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks after he was informed Monday morning that Hachimura would be available for only one leg of L.A.'s back-to-back.
And more than half of the 13 players in uniform were not on the court for the national anthem and pregame lineup introductions, leaving the bench players who were out there to mimic as if they were the starters being announced.
One of those players, Rui Hachimura, was off the injury report after sitting out the past six games because of a right calf issue but did not play against the Kings.
Redick explained that he decided to save the 27-year-old forward for Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks after he was informed Monday morning that Hachimura would be available for only one leg of L.A.'s back-to-back.
"[And] he was on a severe minutes restriction so it made sense to play him tomorrow," Redick said. "We had already put in the injury report."
But the 41-year-old James and Luka Doncic both playing showed a certain level of intent by the Lakers.
They combined to score L.A.'s first eight points, causing Sacramento to call timeout after the Lakers went up 8-2 in the first 2:09 of the first quarter.
It just turned from there, with the Lakers shooting 2-for-11 from 3 in the opening quarter and losing the lead heading into the second.
Despite shooting 0-for-5 from three, James finished with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Doncic finished with 42 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals after scoring 40 points in the first three quarters.
He broke the 40-point threshold for the eighth time this season, and it happened when he was playing through groin pain that needed to be treated."I wasn't sure I wanted to play," Doncic remarked. "I felt like warming up before the game. Thus, we were merely attempting to warm up and get moving.
James and Doncic both stated that their availability for the Hawks game won't be decided until they get up and start moving on Tuesday.
In addition to Hachimura's absence, Austin Reaves' All-Star-calf injury disrupted his season, which coincided with L.A.'s troubles. Reaves has been absent for the last two weeks and won't be back for at least two more.We're obviously dealing with a lot of injuries at the moment," James remarked. "Not just non-uniformed individuals, but also uniformed guys. We're merely attempting to weather the storm.
Doncic continued, saying, "I definitely have faith in this team. Thus, all you need to do is keep working and improving.
