The Los Angeles Lakers led the Sacramento Kings by 19 points at one point, but a lack of concentration caused LeBron James and his teammates to lose 120-130.
Every time Los Angeles Lakers fans sense a revival in their beloved team, coach Darvin Ham and his team have a bad game.
The Lakers’ winning streak, which included a win over the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this week, was halted by a tough 120-130 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Unable to capitalize on the momentum from their win over the Oklahoma City Thunder two days ago, the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Sacramento Kings 120-130.
Not only did this loss put the Lakers in trouble because the Kings are direct competitors in the Western Conference standings, it also came despite the LA team leading their opponents by 19 points at one point.
To make matters worse, LeBron James was hurt and couldn’t finish the game. Coach Darvin Ham was forced to call a timeout and let the Los Angeles Lakers’ No. 1 star leave the court, limping straight to the locker room due to a recurrence of his ankle injury.
Despite leaving the field early, the oldest player in the NBA still had 31 points (10-16 FG, 10-10 FT) and 13 assists
This is the injury that has haunted LeBron throughout this season, creating a very worrying image for fans of the purple and yellow team. However, James himself has spoken out to reassure.
“I think I’ll be fine,” LeBron James said. “I have a recurring ankle injury that I’ve had for a while. I’ve been working on it since before All-Star and I’m just trying to get it right now.”
Speaking more about the relapse, the Lakers star said: “Some games I have it, some games I don’t. The day before against OKC, I felt fine. Today until the end of the third quarter I still felt fine but in the fourth quarter it was uncomfortable.”
Before his final quarter troubles, LeBron James was in great form in the first three quarters, as evidenced by a dunk that will surely be one of the best dunks of the season over center Alex Len.
LeBron James’s injury relapse was not the reason why the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Sacramento Kings. Things started very well when James and his teammates led 38-17 in the first half (a difference of 19 points).
The turning point came when Anthony Davis had a personal foul problem and was benched. De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk immediately took advantage of this to attack, bringing Sacramento back into the game with a 30-11 run, tying the score.
It seemed like the Lakers would wake up, but they had no answer on either offense or defense. On the other side of the court, the Kings continued to thrive and took a 97-77 lead midway through the third quarter.
From a good start and a deep lead, the Los Angeles Lakers lost everything and had to accept a humiliating defeat right at Crypto.com’s home court. Fans booed the purple and yellow team many times, especially during the period when the Lakers let the Kings erase the gap and take the lead.
The Los Angeles Lakers are in good form with 10 wins in their last 15 games. But in the final stages of the Regular Season, coach Darvin Ham and his team need to win every game to hope to improve their rankings.
Since the Sacramento Kings are the Lakers’ direct competitors in the race for a top-7 finish, this loss is more than just a loss. It also costs the LA team the advantage of facing the Kings (who have lost 3 of 4 games this season) in the event of a tie.
The Lakers’ next four opponents are all Playoffs teams including the Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, a rematch with the Sacramento Kings and a clash with the Golden State Warriors.
