On December 29th, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued with the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Sacramento Kings. The Kings were on a five-game winning streak and had just fired their head coach, Mike Brown; the Lakers had won four of their last five games, but LeBron James was out due to illness. The game started with both teams fiercely attacking each other, with the Lakers scoring 40 points in the first quarter to take the lead, and the Kings responding with 35 points in the second quarter to even the score. In the third quarter, the Lakers scored another 42 points, building a massive 20-point lead at one point. In the final quarter, the Kings managed to reduce the gap to 10 points, but ultimately fell short. The Lakers defeated the Kings 132-122.
The Kings' situation is precarious, relying on star players for offense and leaving defense to fate, aiming to win in chaos! In this game, the Kings made full preparations on the offensive end, shooting decisively and fighting fiercely! Throughout the game, the Kings outrebounded the Lakers 39-33, dominated the offensive rebounds 13-4, outscored the Lakers in the paint 62-58, and also had the upper hand in fast-break points (22-14) and points off turnovers (13-7), achieving their goal of winning in chaos. However, the problem was that the Kings' chaotic punches couldn't defeat the Lakers, as the Lakers easily broke through the Kings' defense with their exceptional three-point shooting. Throughout the game, the Lakers shot 14 out of 26 from beyond the arc, with a high accuracy rate of 53.8%. In contrast, the Kings only made 11 out of 40 three-point attempts, with a low accuracy rate of 27.3%.
From trailing by 20 points to reducing the gap to 10 points, the Kings' players gave it their all, with Fox scoring 29 points + 5 rebounds + 12 assists, Monk scoring 20 points + 6 rebounds + 7 assists, and DeRozan scoring 25 points + 6 rebounds + 7 assists. They tried their best, but they could only blame Fox (1 out of 9 three-pointers) and DeRozan (0 out of 2 three-pointers) for lacking the threat and stability of three-point shooting, as two-point shots are not as effective as three-pointers! On the other hand, the Lakers, without LeBron James and with Vincent retiring due to injury, still united to defend their home court. Christie, Hachimura, and Knecht combined for 55 points and 9 three-pointers, making significant contributions! More importantly, Davis and Reeves supported the team's foundation inside and outside!
Firstly, Davis delivered a powerful performance, dominating Sabonis! In this game, Davis played 38 minutes, shooting 12 out of 16 (1 out of 1 from three-point range), making 11 out of 13 free throws, scoring 36 points + 15 rebounds + 8 assists, with a positive-negative value of +21, leading the game; in contrast, Sabonis fouled out after playing only 25 minutes, shooting 6 out of 13 (2 out of 3 from three-point range), scoring 14 points + 12 rebounds + 7 assists! Facing his former nemesis Sabonis, Davis played aggressively and fiercely, wanting to devour him whole, capable of shooting mid-range shots and creating damage in the low post, and even sending a season-high 8 assists using his opponent's tactics against them! Undoubtedly, this version of Davis is an MVP-level versatile key player.
Secondly, Reeves stepped up in the absence of LeBron James and Vincent's injury, taking on the responsibility of the backcourt. Fortunately, he withstood the pressure and delivered an impressive performance. In this game, Reeves played 42 minutes, shooting 9 out of 16 (3 out of 4 from three-point range), making 5 out of 8 free throws, scoring 26 points + 6 rebounds + 16 assists with a positive-negative value of +15, second only to Davis! According to statistics, the 16 assists set a new career-high for Reeves. He also became the third player in Lakers history to score at least 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 16 assists in a single game, following Magic Johnson and James! In the last seven games, Reeves averaged 20.3 points + 6 rebounds + 7.4 assists, which is remarkable. In my opinion, Reeves is the most suitable guard to partner with LeBron, being effective and affordable without drawing too much attention!
The Lakers sent the Kings to their sixth consecutive loss, completing a season sweep against them! As a result, the Lakers' record improved to 18 wins and 13 losses, surpassing the Clippers (also 18 wins and 13 losses) based on head-to-head records to climb to fifth place in the Western Conference, only 1.5 games behind the fourth-placed Mavericks (20 wins and 12 losses). Undoubtedly, this is the best 40th birthday gift the Lakers could give to LeBron. I look forward to LeBron's quick return and hope that the Lakers can find an interior partner for Davis during the mid-season who can help alleviate his workload. I believe they can still cause trouble in the wild West. What do you think, basketball fans? Leave your comments and let's discuss it.