Kings coach Doug Christie warned against complacency as his team prepared to face a shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers squad with LeBron James and Luka Doncic sidelined due to injuries.
The Kings in recent years had a bad habit of falling flat against opponents who were missing their best players, leading to some of their worst losses over the past two seasons. The effort was there Sunday, but the Kings still let the Lakers escape with a win thanks to a big game by Austin Reaves and some questionable calls from the officials.
Reaves scored a career-high 51 points and the Lakers amassed an unthinkable 46-18 advantage in free-throw attempts in a 127-120 victory before a sellout crowd of 17,832 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Reaves went 12 of 12 from the field, 6 of 10 from 3-point range and 21 of 22 at the free-throw line for the Lakers (2-1). Deandre Ayton recorded a double-double with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Rui Hachimura added 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
When asked about Reaves’ performance after the game, Kings forward DeMar DeRozan pointed to one thing.
“Twenty-two free throws for him,” DeRozan said.
Zach LaVine scored 32 points for the Kings (1-2), posting his third consecutive 30-point game to start the season. DeRozan had 21 points and six rebounds. Dennis Schroder had 18 points and 12 assists.
Russel Westbrook came off the bench to post 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. Malik Monk scored 15 points while Domantas Sabonis put up 10 points and 14 rebounds despite dealing with foul trouble.
Christie was at a loss for words when asked about the free-throw disparity.
“We’ve got to play defense without fouling obviously,” Christie said. “But there are two teams on the floor, so it’s wild. It’s wild. It’s wild.”
Halftime report
The Kings offered little resistance in the opening period. The Lakers went 11 of 14 from the field and 9 of 10 at the free-throw line over the first nine minutes to open up a 31-21 lead.
Los Angeles led 36-29 at the end of the first quarter. The Lakers shot 63.2%, scored 18 points in the paint and went to the free-throw line 12 times.
The Kings were plagued by early foul trouble. Sabonis went to the bench after getting whistled for two fouls in the first five minutes. Keon Ellis had to take a seat after picking up his third foul with 9:58 to play in the first half.
The Kings came to life at the start of the second quarter, outscoring the Lakers 13-2 to take a 40-38 lead on a 3-pointer by DeRozan. Westbrook played a huge role in Sacramento’s surge, posting 11 points, three rebounds and two assists while going 4 of 4 from the field with three 3-pointers in his first nine minutes of action.
The teams traded leads 12 times in the second period and went into the halftime break with the score tied at 62-62. The Kings made 6 of 10 from 3-point range and did a much better job defensively in the second quarter, holding the Lakers to 42.1% shooting from the field and 1-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Second-half summary
The Lakers lost another starter when Gabe Vincent went down with an apparent ankle injury early in the second half. He limped back to the locker room and did not return.
LaVine came out cooking in the third quarter, scoring nine points over the first 5:12 to put Sacramento up 76-74. The Kings might have been able to take control, but their foul troubles continued.
Ellis went to the bench with his fourth foul with 10:06 to play in the third period. Undrafted rookie Dylan Cardwell came on to replace Sabonis when Sabonis was called for his fourth foul with 6:11 to go in the third.
Cardwell picked up his fourth foul three minutes later. At that point, the Lakers had a 37-9 advantage in free-throw attempts. Christie called a timeout to challenge
The Lakers attempted 18 free throws in the third quarter and led 95-90 going into the fourth. The Kings staged an 11-2 run to take a 101-97 lead on a 3-pointer by Sabonis, but the Lakers quickly reclaimed the lead following back-to-back 3-pointers by Reaves.
The Kings found themselves trailing 112-104 with 5:28 to play. Jake LaRavia hit a 3 to put the Lakers up 117-106 with 4:15 to go.
The Kings cut the deficit to five on a three-point play by LaVine with 3:32 remaining. They got within three on a 3-pointer by LaVine with 1:30 to go, but they couldn’t get any closer.
Up next
The Kings will begin a four-game road trip when they visit the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday at Paycom Center.
Oklahoma City (3-0) is one of two unbeaten teams in the Western Conference along with the San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder opened the season with wins over the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks.
Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been sensational, averaging 40.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks. Chet Holmgren is averaging 24.7 points and 10.0 rebounds.