The Los Angeles Lakers would end up going winless in the preseason after losing their final game to the Sacramento Kings, 116-112.
The Lakers were aggressive scoring at the rim early, with Russell Westbrook bullying De’Aaron Fox on consecutive possessions while DeAndre Jordan was able to get a tip-in to go. The other Lakers stars looked engaged as well, with LeBron James scoring a quick five points and Anthony Davis playing solid defense per usual.
As has been the theme throughout the preseason, the Lakers’ offense stalled out, and the Kings managed to take a 19-17 lead off of a Harrison Barnes three. Turnovers were a problem for Los Angeles, who tried to force hit-ahead passes that were off the mark, and they would go into the second trailing 35-23.
The Laker offense showed signs of life to begin the second as Carmelo Anthony and Westbrook were able to knock down a trio of 3-pointers to pull the team within single digits. The defensive energy also picked up with Los Angeles being able to force several missed shots and turnovers, allowing them to retake the lead.
Dwight Howard was a major boost to the team as his activity around the glass got the Lakers going, though he did pick up a flagrant foul after hacking Harrison Barnes in addition to bad fouls overall in limited minutes. After allowing another Kings run, James and Davis were able to score at the rim almost at will, but L.A. went into the half trailing 71-65 in a high-scoring affair.
The third quarter got off to a scary start as James came up limping after a play but remained in the game after getting looked at on the bench. ‘The King’ shook off any ill effects quickly as he buried a couple of jumpers while Austin Reaves continued to flash on the offensive end.
L.A. settled into a good groove offensively, moving the ball from side to side and finding open space to open up a 15-3 run midway through the period. Unfortunately, the bench was unable to hold onto the lead, and the Lakers would go into the fourth down 92-87.
It was a close contest to begin the final period as both teams were able to trade baskets. Though they had issues covering Terrence Davis, Los Angeles briefly took the lead, who caught fire from beyond the arc.
Even though the game was close, head coach Frank Vogel opted to pull the main rotation players and sub in the end of his bench. As a result, the Purple and Gold would walk away with another loss.
