New FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs Kings - Game 23

New FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs Kings – Game 23

Franchise Sports Media

Los Angeles Lakers (12-11)  |  Sacramento Kings (8-14)

 

The Los Angeles Lakers exacted some revenge against the Sacramento Kings with a dominant second half to win 117-92.

 

When we last saw the Lakers play the Kings, the teams went to triple overtime. The Kings came out on top 141-137. This time around, the Lakers looked to rebound without LeBron James, who was out of the lineup due to health and safety protocols.

The game began with Richaun Holmes throwing a dunk down for the first score of the game. The teams matched up the first three minutes of the quarter with the score tied at six. Suddenly the Kings began to generate a little steam as they built a four-point cushion off of points from Chimezie Metu and Terence Davis. Anthony Davis scored his first basket of the game to cut the deficit to two, but Buddy Hield responded with a three to extend Sacramento’s lead to five.

With just over five minutes left in the quarter, the Kings continued to make headway as Davion Mitchell added two more points to the lead, followed by a dunk from Metu to make it a nine-point game. Dwight Howard answered with two straight alley-oop layups, with both lobs coming from Malik Monk. Shortly after, Alex Len and Mitchell decided they wanted to make life difficult for Los Angeles as they each drained threes in the closing minutes to put Sacramento up by as much as 11. Davis and Russell Westbrook each added six points, but a Mitchell three to close the quarter had the Kings leading 28-20.

The second quarter kicked off with a Carmelo Anthony step back but was countered by six straight points by the Kings as Holmes and Louis King pulled the Kings out to a 12-point lead. Five minutes into the quarter with the Lakers down 13, Austin Reaves tried to get something going with his first basket of the game, but after a three-point play by Anthony, Davis and Metu rebuilt a Sacramento lead of 12.

Los Angeles fought back once more as Howard threw a dunk down in the paint, followed by a Monk three on the next possession to make it a seven-point game. The Lakers got to within five until De’Aaron Fox hit a three with 2:30 left in the half, followed by a Metu basket and a Tyrese Haliburton three-pointer. In the final minute, Anthony and Westbrook’s five-point run proved too little as Fox scored four more points before Monk hit a three at the buzzer to close the half.

 

The Lakers struggled to execute and contain the Kings in the first half and went into the locker room down 59-50.

 

The second half began with what appeared to be early signs the Kings were going to walk away with this game as Holmes made a jump shot two minutes in to build a 14-point lead. Los Angeles, however, began to creep back in as an 8-0 run by Westbrook, and Monk cut the lead in more than half. With 6:34 left in the quarter, the Lakers trailed by eight until Monk hit another three, followed by a jump shot from Westbrook. Now, the Lakers are within one possession of the Kings as the scoreboard showed 71-68.

After a Hield free throw, the Kings turned the ball over on a charging foul, allowing the Lakers to go off once again as Davis took over the floor with six out of seven Laker points to put the team ahead by five. Next possession, Monk hit yet another three to extend the lead to eight. Anthony sank a jumper for a nine-point Laker lead in the closing minutes, and it only got worse from there for the Kings as they only managed free throws as points in the quarter’s last seven minutes.

Los Angeles took a big 87-74 lead into the fourth quarter after limiting the Kings to just 15 points in the third quarter while scoring 37 points. Rajon Rondo got the scoring started in the final frame of regulation with a driving layup, followed by a Wayne Ellington downtown shot that extended the lead to 18. After free throws from King and Haliburton, the Kings attempted to come back as Holmes scored five points in a row to cut the lead to 11. The Lakers responded with ten straight points, including two threes from Ellington.

With just over two minutes remaining in the quarter, Monk hit one more three for good measure to make it a 22-point lead for the Lakers and added insult with an alley-oop slam off a Kent Bazemore lob. Bazemore added more insurance on the next possession with a three that would be the last points Los Angeles scored for the game. Metu hit a jumper, but the lead was too big for the Kings to overcome as the Lakers sealed the victory to get back above .500 by a 117-92 final score.

The Lakers had a collective effort in James’ absence, as five players scored double-digit points. Davis led the team with 25 points on the night, followed by Westbrook with 23 points. Monk had another big game with 22 points off the bench, while Anthony scored 14 points, and Howard recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

The Kings had just three players scoring in double figures, led by Holmes with a game-high 27 points, followed by Fox with 17 points, and Metu recorded a double-double of his own with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

 

The next Lakers game will be at home in Los Angeles for a matchup against their Staples Center counterparts, the Los Angeles Clippers. The game will begin at 7:00 and can be seen on ESPN and Spectrum SportsNet.

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– Matt Dobbs – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Matt on Twitter @RecordBowlerFSM

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