LeBron James leads the Lakers to their second straight win against the Kings

After defeating the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers looked to do it again on Saturday afternoon in the second of two straight road games against their division rival. They did just that, earning a 103-99 win and improving their record to 16-12.

Just like in the first meeting, the Lakers got off to a fast start. LeBron James scored first and then had a nice pass in transition to Rui Hachimura for a dunk. After a block from Anthony Davis and a three-pointer from Max Christie, LA took a 7-0 lead.

The Lakers’ defense has been much improved as of late, and that continued early on in this game, allowing James to come out in transition where he thrived.

Then D’Angelo Russell came into the game and immediately turned heads with five quick points, although some sloppy turnovers allowed the Kings to get back into the game. However, toward the end of the quarter, James had a strong performance, beating the buzzer and giving the Lakers a 31-26 lead.

James continued to control the game offensively early in the second quarter, getting to the rim with ease. However, the Lakers briefly let their guard down, giving the Kings their first lead.

A strong performance from LA just before halftime, which included another three-pointer from Russell, gave them a 56-53 lead at halftime.

After a quiet first half on offense, Davis got going with two shots in the third quarter. Except for him, however, the Lakers went ice cold from the field until Hachimura finally broke through with a three-pointer and then Reaves did the same.

It was a low-scoring third quarter as neither team was able to gain a lead. After another strong performance from James to start the quarter, the Lakers took an 81-77 lead.

James stayed hot to start the final quarter with five straight points, but a Kings run followed to tie the score. Cam Reddish marked the game with two three-point plays, one with a steal and the other with an offensive rebound.

The Lakers seemed to gain some distance from there, with Hachimura and Russell making contributions to extend the lead to double digits. However, the Kings were undeterred and responded with another run to hang on until the final few minutes.

De’Aaron Fox had a chance late to tie the game for his team, but missed a layup. Davis was then fouled and had a chance to ice the ball at the line but missed both. However, Hachimura had a huge tip against Reaves, and he managed both to put the game on ice.

James led the win with 32 points to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and four steals.

What’s next for the Lakers?

The Lakers now return home to host the Detroit Pistons on Monday night before heading back north to face the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day.

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