On December 29th, Beijing time, the NBA's 2024-25 season regular season's Western Conference focus match took place, with the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Sacramento Kings at their home court. This was the fourth meeting between the two teams this season, with the Lakers winning all three previous encounters, showing a significant advantage. Apparently, the Lakers are still relying on veterans to perform this season, as statistics show that after an eight-day rest and returning for five games, James averaged 25.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks, with shooting percentages of 50.0%/34.6%/79.2%, and only 2.8 turnovers. During this period, he led the Lakers to a record of four wins and one loss, propelling the team to sixth in the West (with a total record of 17 wins and 13 losses), which is truly remarkable.
You see, next Tuesday in U.S. time, James will enter a new stage of life at 40 years old, and it's amazing that he can still be so efficient at this age. On the other hand, the Kings have recently had a bumpy road. In the last game, they were about to win but were defeated by the Pistons with an extreme 3+1 buzzer-beater, unfortunately suffering a five-game losing streak. As a result, Kings coach Mike Brown became the scapegoat and became the first coach to be fired this season, while Doug Christie was appointed as the interim head coach in a critical situation. However, the problems facing the Kings are not just with the coach. The newly introduced DeRozan this summer has always found it difficult to integrate into the team, which is the key issue.
Before the start of this game, American media ESPN appropriately predicted the winning probability of today's game: the Lakers' winning probability is only 47.9%, while the Kings' winning probability is 52.1%, which is quite unexpected. In terms of starting lineups, the Lakers' side saw Hood-Hiffin unable to participate due to a left hamstring strain, Jackson-Hayes out with a right ankle sprain/contusion, Vanderbilt recovering from right foot surgery, and Wood recovering from left knee surgery, all unable to play. James also missed the game due to illness before the game. Therefore, Redick's latest starting five were: Russell, Davis, Hachimura, Christie, and Reeves; the Kings' side had uncertainty about whether Sabonis could play, and their starting lineup was: Fox, Monk, DeRozan, Murray, and Sabonis.
In the first quarter, Davis made a strong throw towards Xiao Sa, and the ball went in steadily. Christie received the ball at the top of the arc and decisively shot a three-pointer, giving the Lakers a 10-4 lead over the Kings. At this time, Monk played well, scoring 5 points in a row with inside and outside shots, helping the team stop the bleeding in time. Ellis chased down a three-pointer in the counterattack, and the Kings overtook the score. Then, Davis made a turnaround shot in the low post against Xiao Sa, followed by a layup against Xiao Sa, and the Lakers regained a six-point lead. Reeves made a clever pass to assist Knecht to successfully score, and he had already sent out six assists in the first quarter. Davis hit another mid-range jumper, and Reeves' long-range three-pointer also went in, ending the first quarter with the Lakers leading the Kings 40-31 by nine points.
In the first quarter, Davis shone brightly, fighting on the court for 12 minutes. In these 12 minutes, Davis shot five times without missing, easily scoring 10 points. Moreover, he grabbed two rebounds and sent out one assist.
In the second quarter, DeRozan made a turnaround shot after drawing the defender, making all five shots in the quarter for 10 points, leading the team to reduce the gap to just one point. Hachimura received the ball in the corner and hit consecutive three-pointers to stabilize the situation. Monk sent a fine pass during the counterattack, and Ellis followed up with a powerful dunk, which was spectacular. Davis missed both free throws after fouling, and neither team scored for more than three minutes. Keegan Murray scored on a second-chance opportunity, and the Kings tied the score. Russell's corner three-pointer hit the sideboard and did not go in, but Davis grabbed an offensive rebound under the defense of four players and made a layup. DeRozan responded with his signature turnaround jumper, and Fox grabbed an offensive rebound in the crowd and scored again. The half ended with the Kings leading the Lakers 66-65 by one point.
At halftime, let's take a look at the Lakers' situation. Davis was mighty, making seven of eight attempts for a game-high 17 points, along with eight rebounds and two assists, with a plus-minus of +6. Russell, on the other hand, had cold hands, making only one of six shots and one of four three-point attempts for just three points, plus one rebound and three assists. Hachimura performed well, making five of eight shots, including three of three from three-point range, for 13 points, four rebounds, and one block. Looking at the Kings, DeRozan played 19 minutes, making seven of eight shots for 14 points, three rebounds, six assists, and one steal. Fox played 18 minutes, making only five of 14 shots, missing all five three-point attempts, for 12 points, two rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block.
After the change of sides, they clashed again. Hachimura received the ball in the corner and made a steady three-pointer. Reeves also made a three-pointer from the top of the arc, making all three of his three-point attempts for a total of 16 points and seven assists. The referee reviewed the footage and cancelled Reeves' two points, adding a foul call on Christie for two free throws. Can they even trace back to the previous play? It really opens your eyes; the referees love to steal the spotlight. Christie drove to the basket against DeRozan and scored, and the Lakers had a 10-point lead. Sabonis tried to steal the ball from Davis but was called for his fifth foul and had to leave the court helplessly. Davis received the ball and made a three-pointer, and the Lakers scored 42 points in the quarter to extend the lead to 17 points.
In the decisive fourth quarter, Reddish made a clever ground pass, and Koloko made a powerful dunk, at which point the Lakers had extended their advantage to 20 points. Fox finally made some mid-range and three-point attempts, and the Kings launched a 12-0 run to reduce the gap to eight points. Christie received the ball and made a three-pointer against the defense, and Reeves' layup also went in. Ultimately, the Lakers defeated the Kings 132-122 without much trouble, causing the Kings to suffer their sixth consecutive loss. At the same time, the Lakers also swept the Kings four times this season.
The Lakers have come to realize the reality. As long as they make reasonable adjustments to Redick, the team's competitiveness will certainly not be lacking. Look at this game, which produced rare smooth cooperation this season, with players accurately finding their positions, and this was achieved even without James playing.
Here are the data situations. Among the Lakers, Davis was outstanding, making 12 of 16 shots for 36 points and grabbing 15 rebounds with eight assists; Hachimura also performed well, scoring 21 points, four rebounds, one steal, and two blocks; Reeves stood out, scoring 26 points, six rebounds, and 16 assists; Russell contributed nine points, two rebounds, and four assists; Christie scored 16 points, one rebound, two assists, and one steal. On the Kings' side, DeRozan scored 25 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and one steal; Fox made 12 of 25 shots for 29 points, five rebounds, 12 assists, three steals, and one block. Sabonis was not so lucky, fouling out with six fouls and only scoring 14 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists.