LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers led the Sacramento Kings by 19 in the first quarter, and all the LA fans were happy. Then came the rest of Wednesday’s game.
Sacramento awoke offensively to stun the Lakers in a 130-120 victory that pushed the home team down to a precarious 10th place in the Western Conference.
De’Aaron Fox tied a career-high with 44 points and hushed the Crypto.com Arena crowd as the Lakers fell to 34-30.
It was the latest sample in a season where the Lakers keep taking a positive step or two, only to be followed quickly by a negative result. Wednesday’s loss was an about-face from an impressive defense-driven 116-104 victory over Oklahoma City two nights earlier.
With every loss, it becomes more difficult for the Lakers to avoid the single-elimination play-in game between the West’s ninth- and 10th-place teams.
“It sucks, especially in a must-win game that we needed. We needed to get this one,” Lakers center Anthony Davis said. “We know the position that we’re in for our seeding. Every game matters.”
Making matters worse, LeBron James left the game with 3:56 to play and the Lakers down 14. He walked directly to the locker room, appearing to limp along the way.
He later said he felt discomfort in a nagging left ankle injury that has hobbled him off and on for a couple months.
“It’s just my ankle. It’s just what I deal with before the [All-Star] break, after the break. I’m just managing the best way that I can,” said James. “Some games, it’s better than others. I didn’t feel it all versus OKC, and I didn’t feel it all until the fourth quarter tonight. Each game, each day, is different.”
Injured or not, James kept putting up numbers, finishing with 31 points and 13 assists in 36 minutes.
It wasn’t enough to offset Fox’s night.
“He’s had our number for quite a while now. He plays exceptionally well versus us,” James said. “Tonight was another one of those nights.”
Davis had only 14 points and 11 rebounds while fighting foul trouble. It was his second low-wattage game against Sacramento this season. He scored only nine points on three-for-nine shooting when the teams met last November.
D’Angelo Russell was also quiet Wednesday, scoring only 10 points, including a three-pointer that gave the Lakers a 37-18 lead with 1:58 to go in the first quarter.
But then, Sacramento went on a 54-20 run to take a stunning 15-point halftime lead. The Kings never relinquished control.
“They had a great second quarter,” Davis said. “That was the game right there.”
Former Lakers guard Malik Monk had a scorching first half, scoring 19 points while handing out five assists in only 17 minutes. Monk, who will be a free agent this summer, finished with 26 points and eight assists. He is the favorite to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
“We came out with all the energy on both ends of the floor, and then that second quarter dictated the game. Some of the things we were in defensively allowed D’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk to get whatever they want, to live in the paint,” Davis said. “If I go help, then [Domantas] Sabonis is wide open. They did a good job manipulating what we were doing.”
The Lakers’ reserves again struggled to put up points and were outscored by the Kings’ backups, 50-18. The Lakers’ bench hasn’t outscored its counterparts in a game since Feb. 8 against Denver.
The Kings (35-26) also crushed the Lakers (34-30) in another key area: points in the paint, 76-50.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, their schedule doesn’t loosen up for quite a while. Seven of their next eight games are against teams above. 500, including Friday’s contest against Milwaukee.
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