LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Battling injuries this season has become a familiar obstacle for the Los Angeles Lakers, and it was put to the test again facing the Sacramento Kings. The Lakers managed to defeat the Kings 132-122 while missing one of their key players: Lebron James.
Defeating the Kings resulted in a regular season sweep of four straight wins over their Pacific Division rivals. Executing the sweep proved to be challenging as injuries would occur in the game to rotational players Cam Reddish and Gabe Vincent.
With the injuries racking up the Lakers had multiple players step up and perform. It was a well-balanced offensive night, but Laker stars Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves led the way. Davis, who finished with 36 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists, emphasized how well the offense played.
“Just sharing the basketball. Playing together and having great offense, the ball was popping,” said Davis.
Gabe Vincent started in the absence of James, but it was short-lived as he would leave the game with an oblique strain. He would only play a total of seven minutes, which left the majority of the ball-handling pressure on Austin Reaves.
Due to the extra responsibility and minutes with Vincent out, Reaves set a career-high with 16 assists, truly demonstrating a great level of playmaking against the Kings.
“I really enjoy creating for others and getting everybody going and just helping the team be successful.” Reaves said.”
Vincent and Reddish are two of the main defensive players the Lakers have in their rotation. Reddish went to the locker room before halftime suffering from back spasms. He would return to the game in the third quarter but did not play many minutes when he did.
With Vincent and Reddish hurt, the Lakers’ defense was inconsistent. Consistent stops were not made until the third quarter when the Lakers made a run to push their lead up. The offensive flow is what truly pushed the Lakers ahead as the Kings had no answers themselves on the defensive end.
Five different Lakers scored in double digits against the Kings. The Lakers flowed through the game and got plenty of free throw attempts with their relentless attack in the paint.
The Kings are struggling on their own, as they are on an extended losing streak and just recently parted ways with former head coach Mike Brown. Despite the Lakers suffering from injuries, the team found a way to win once again against the Kings
The Lakers had to battle to win this game, but completing the four-game regular season sweep against the Kings should make things a little better. It is their payback as the Kings swept the Lakers last season in the regular season. It is a clean sweep over a divisional foe that the Lakers won’t see again until next season.
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