The search for sustained consistency remained a focus for the Lakers on Sunday against a Sacramento Kings team with the NBA’s worst record.
And it helped that the Lakers were completely healthy against the Kings, something that has eluded them nearly all season.
Behind strong efforts from Luka Doncic and LeBron James, the Lakers defeated the struggling Kings 128-104 at Crypto.com Arena.
Doncic, one of five Lakers to score in double figures, scored 28 points on 10-for-16 shooting. He made four three-pointers and had nine assists and five rebounds.
James, who played after initially being listed as questionable with left foot arthritis, scored 24 points in 24 minutes on eight-for-15 shooting. He made a trio of threes and had five assists.
Rui Hachimura played 22 minutes and had eight points and two rebounds after missing the previous two games because of illness.
Nique Clifford led the Kings (14-48) with 26 points and seven rebounds.
For the second straight game, the Lakers (36-24) benefited from strong shooting. They shot 50% from the field and 46% from three-point range.
One of the game’s most exciting plays happened in the first quarter when Marcus Smart dived for a loose basketball and, while prone on his back, passed to James. The Lakers star then passed to a hustling Austin Reaves, who took a few dribbles to get a Kings defender to commit before making an alley-oop pass to James for a two-handed, rim-hanging dunk.
The crowd was whipped into a frenzy. The Kings called a timeout, allowing Lakers and their fans to soak in the moment.
There was another play in the third quarter in which Doncic slipped and almost fell down, losing control of the ball. But Doncic regained his balance and the ball before shooting a three-pointer that gave the Lakers a 24-point lead.
It was that kind of night for the Lakers, a game full of highlights and fun that allowed Lakers coach JJ Redick to empty his bench in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers are now 3-3 since the All-Star break, with two straight wins after three straight losses.
Before the game, Redick remarked how his team has stayed “positive” and stuck to the process.
“The world has fallen 19 different times and we’ve responded,” Redick said. “And again, we’re looking for that level of consistency. It’s not always — like I said last night — going to show up in wins and losses. But we’re confident we’re going to find it.”
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