Game ID: 22300901
Sacramento Kings @ Los Angeles Lakers
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 10:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 37 20 35 28 120SAC 28 44 32 26 130
LAL vs SAC ScoutingLAL vs SAC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAL availability going into 2/28 · 2 days' restOUT Reddish missed 14 since 1/25, returns tonight: 20 min (96% of 20)
OUT Vanderbilt missed 9 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 31 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 3 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK James back 2/23 after 2, 36 min since (100% of 36)
BACK Christie back 2/22 after 3, 16 min since (112% of 14)
LAL availability going into 2/29 · back-to-backOUT Vanderbilt missed 10 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 32 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 4 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK James back 2/23 after 2, 36 min since (101% of 36)
BACK Reddish back 2/28 after 14, 20 min since (96% of 20)
BACK Christie back 2/22 after 3, 12 min since (84% of 14)
LAL availability going into 3/02 · 1 day's restOUT Vanderbilt missed 11 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 33 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 5 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK James back 2/23 after 2, 37 min since (103% of 36)
BACK Reddish back 2/28 after 14, 12 min since (58% of 20)
BACK Christie back 2/22 after 3, 11 min since (79% of 14)
LAL availability going into 3/04 · 1 day's restOUT Vanderbilt missed 12 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 34 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 6 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK James back 2/23 after 2, 37 min since (103% of 36)
BACK Reddish back 2/28 after 14, 14 min since (69% of 20)
LAL availability going into 3/06 · 1 day's restOUT Vanderbilt missed 13 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 35 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 7 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 2/28 after 14, 14 min since (68% of 20)
LAL availability going into 3/08 · 1 day's restOUT Vanderbilt missed 14 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 36 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 8 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 2/28 after 14, 14 min since (68% of 20)
LAL availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Vanderbilt missed 15 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 37 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 9 since 2/22, out tonight
NEW Hachimura 27 to 33 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 3/13 · 2 days' restOUT Vanderbilt missed 16 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 38 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 10 since 2/22, out tonight
LAL availability going into 3/16 · 2 days' restOUT Reddish missed 2 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 17 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 39 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 11 since 2/22, out tonight
SAC availability going into 2/26 · back-to-backOUT Ellis missed 2 since 2/22, out tonight
OUT Vezenkov missed 5 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Duarte back 2/14 after 4, 15 min since (119% of 12)
SAC availability going into 2/28 · 1 day's restOUT Ellis missed 3 since 2/22, returns tonight: 8 min (48% of 17)
OUT Vezenkov missed 6 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Duarte back 2/14 after 4, 15 min since (124% of 12)
SAC availability going into 3/01 · 1 day's restOUT Vezenkov missed 7 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Ellis back 2/28 after 3, 8 min since (48% of 17)
BACK Duarte back 2/14 after 4, 17 min since (141% of 12)
SAC availability going into 3/04 · 2 days' restOUT Fox missed 2 since 2/28, returns tonight: 39 min (108% of 36)
OUT Vezenkov missed 8 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Ellis back 2/28 after 3, 13 min since (78% of 17)
SAC availability going into 3/06 · 1 day's restOUT Vezenkov missed 9 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Fox back 3/04 after 2, 39 min since (108% of 36)
BACK Ellis back 2/28 after 3, 13 min since (78% of 17)
SAC availability going into 3/07 · back-to-backOUT Vezenkov missed 10 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Fox back 3/04 after 2, 39 min since (109% of 36)
BACK Ellis back 2/28 after 3, 14 min since (79% of 17)
SAC availability going into 3/10 · 2 days' restOUT Duarte missed 2 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Vezenkov missed 11 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Fox back 3/04 after 2, 38 min since (105% of 36)
BACK Ellis back 2/28 after 3, 15 min since (84% of 17)
SAC availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Duarte missed 3 since 3/06, returns tonight: 11 min (89% of 12)
OUT Vezenkov missed 12 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Fox back 3/04 after 2, 37 min since (102% of 36)
SAC availability going into 3/13 · back-to-backOUT Vezenkov missed 13 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Fox back 3/04 after 2, 36 min since (100% of 36)
BACK Duarte back 3/12 after 3, 11 min since (89% of 12)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 119, shooting 53 percent and 41 from three, 16 free throws a game; James at 28 and Davis at 25 a game. Without Vanderbilt (13 straight), Vincent (35 straight), Wood (7 straight). One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Fox at 27 and Murray at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-5 a night and the Lakers minus-3 and the arc, the Lakers at 41 percent from three to Sacramento's 36. Call it the Lakers 119, Sacramento 115, Sacramento keeping it close.
2/28 @ LAC 116-112 — LAL notes
LAL won 116-112. LAL shot 55% (47 of 86) to LAC's 51%, 14 of 36 from three, and got to the line 10 times to LAC's 16. James led with 34 (13 of 21, 7 of 12 from three); Davis added 20, Russell 18. The hinge was Q4, 39-16: LAL came in trailing by 19 and left it ahead by 4. LAL trailed 52-66 at the half and won the second half 64-46. James was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
2/29 vs WAS 134-131 — LAL notes
LAL won 134-131 in 1 overtime. LAL shot 52% (53 of 101) to WAS's 51%, 8 of 23 from three, and went to the line 24 times to WAS's 12 — 20 points from the stripe to their 10. A. Davis led with 40 (14 of 22, 12 of 13 at the line); James added 31, Russell 22. The hinge was Q2, 39-35: LAL came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 1.
3/02 vs DEN 114-124 — LAL notes
LAL lost 114-124. LAL shot 53% (47 of 89) to DEN's 59%, 12 of 29 from three. The glass went 31-47 against them. James led with 26 (12 of 20, 2 of 5 from three); Hachimura added 23, Reaves 19. Q1 was theirs, 33-27, but the other 3 periods went 97-81 against them. They led by as many as 11. Hachimura's -13 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/04 vs OKC 116-104 — LAL notes
LAL won 116-104. LAL shot 51% (41 of 80) to OKC's 39%, 16 of 34 from three, and went to the line 25 times to OKC's 16 — 18 points from the stripe to their 15. LAL turned it over 20 times to OKC's 10, and OKC turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 55-38 for them. Russell led with 26 (9 of 17, 5 of 11 from three); Davis added 24, James 19. The hinge was Q2, 27-18: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 25. Dinwiddie was the night's best plus/minus at +35.
3/06 vs SAC 120-130 — LAL notes
LAL lost 120-130. LAL shot 52% (42 of 81) to SAC's 56%, 15 of 32 from three, and went to the line 25 times to SAC's 12 — 21 points from the stripe to their 10. The glass went 34-46 against them. James led with 31 (10 of 16, 1 of 4 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Hachimura added 29, Reaves 18. Q1 was theirs, 37-28, but the other 3 periods went 102-83 against them. They led by as many as 19. Prince's -17 in 15 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/08 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 120, shooting 53 percent and 42 from three, 19 free throws a game; James at 28 and Davis at 23 a game. Without Vanderbilt (14 straight), Vincent (36 straight), Wood (8 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 102, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 29 and Lillard at 23 a game. Without Middleton (12 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Milwaukee allowing 102 a night to the Lakers' 120 and the arc, the Lakers at 42 percent from three to Milwaukee's 36. Call it Milwaukee 116, the Lakers 115, the Lakers keeping it close.
3/10 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 122, shooting 52 percent and 44 from three, 21 free throws a game; James at 27 and Russell at 24 a game. Without Vanderbilt (15 straight), Vincent (37 straight), Wood (9 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 26 free throws a game; Edwards at 23 and Towns at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Towns (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 44 percent from three to Minnesota's 32 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 110 a night to the Lakers' 122. Call it the Lakers 115, Minnesota 114, Minnesota keeping it close.
3/13 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 114, shooting 50 percent and 33 from three, 17 free throws a game; Fox at 29 and Sabonis at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 118, shooting 52 percent and 45 from three, 22 free throws a game; James at 26 and Russell at 22 a game. Without Vanderbilt (16 straight), Vincent (38 straight), Wood (10 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 45 percent from three to Sacramento's 33 and the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-10 a night and the Lakers plus-0. Call it Sacramento 119, the Lakers 116, the Lakers keeping it close.
3/16 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 46 from three, 24 free throws a game; James at 24 and Davis at 22 a game. Without Reddish (2 straight), Vanderbilt (17 straight), Vincent (39 straight). 2 days' rest. Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Kuminga at 23 and Thompson at 18 a game. Without Curry (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 46 percent from three to Golden State's 37 and the defense, Golden State allowing 110 a night to the Lakers' 117. Call it the Lakers 117, Golden State 115, Golden State keeping it close.
2/26 vs MIA 110-121 — SAC notes
SAC lost 110-121. SAC shot 53% (45 of 85) to MIA's 52%, 13 of 32 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 20 fouls committed. Murray led with 28 (10 of 14, 6 of 7 from three); Fox added 27, Sabonis 14. Q4 was theirs, 29-20, the deficit cut from 20 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 101-81 against them. They led by as many as 10. Barnes's -18 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/28 @ DEN 96-117 — SAC notes
SAC lost 96-117. SAC took 9 more shots (95 to 86), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 40% to DEN's 53%, 12 of 35 from three. Murray led with 21 (9 of 17, 3 of 7 from three); Duarte added 18, Monk 14. Q1 was theirs, 35-28, but the other 3 periods went 89-61 against them. They led by as many as 15. Sabonis's -26 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/01 @ MIN 124-120 — SAC notes
SAC won 124-120 in 1 overtime. SAC shot 50% (50 of 100) to MIN's 49%, 11 of 29 from three, and got to the line 24 times to MIN's 32. SAC turned it over 7 times to MIN's 12. Monk led with 39 (16 of 29, 5 of 8 from three); Sabonis added 21, Murray 17. The hinge was Q1, 30-22: from level to 8 ahead. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
3/04 vs CHI 109-113 — SAC notes
SAC lost 109-113. SAC took 8 more shots (92 to 84), fed by 20 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to CHI's 50%, 11 of 37 from three. SAC turned it over 17 times to CHI's 9, and CHI turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 51-32 for them. Fox led with 20 (8 of 16, 2 of 7 from three); Sabonis added 18, Huerter 12. Q1 was theirs, 36-22, but the other 3 periods went 91-73 against them. They led by as many as 22. Monk's -12 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/06 @ LAL 130-120 — SAC notes
SAC won 130-120. SAC shot 56% (54 of 97) to LAL's 52%, 12 of 31 from three, and got to the line 12 times to LAL's 25. The glass went 46-34 for them. Fox led with 44 (19 of 32, 2 of 6 from three); Monk added 26, Sabonis 16. The hinge was Q2, 44-20: SAC came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 15, and the lead reached 22. Monk was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
3/07 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 118, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; Fox at 30 and Monk at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Vassell at 23 and Wembanyama at 22 a game. One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 17 times a game to Sacramento's 13 and the arc, San Antonio at 41 percent from three to Sacramento's 36. Call it Sacramento 118, San Antonio 114, San Antonio keeping it close.
3/10 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 17 free throws a game; Fox at 32 and Monk at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 110, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 27 and Sengun at 23 a game. Without Je. Green (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-8 a night and Houston plus-1 and the defense, Houston allowing 110 a night to Sacramento's 120. Call it Sacramento 116, Houston 115, Houston keeping it close.
3/12 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 31 from three, 19 free throws a game; Fox at 29 and Monk at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 34 and Lillard at 28 a game. Without Middleton (14 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-9 a night and Milwaukee minus-1 and the arc, Milwaukee at 37 percent from three to Sacramento's 31. Call it Sacramento 118, Milwaukee 117, Milwaukee keeping it close.
3/13 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 114, shooting 50 percent and 33 from three, 17 free throws a game; Fox at 29 and Sabonis at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 118, shooting 52 percent and 45 from three, 22 free throws a game; James at 26 and Russell at 22 a game. Without Vanderbilt (16 straight), Vincent (38 straight), Wood (10 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 45 percent from three to Sacramento's 33 and the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-10 a night and the Lakers plus-0. Call it Sacramento 119, the Lakers 116, the Lakers keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
SACAL A. Len
DF D. Fox
DM D. Mitchell
DS D. Sabonis
HB H. Barnes
KE K. Ellis
KH K. Huerter
KM K. Murray
MM M. Monk
TL T. Lyles
LALAD A. Davis
AR A. Reaves
DR D. Russell
JH J. Hayes
JH J. Hood-Schifino
LJ L. James
MC M. Christie
RH R. Hachimura
SD S. Dinwiddie
TP T. Prince
SAC/LAL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
De’Aaron Fox ties career high with 44 points as Kings roll to a 130-120 victory over Lakers
LOS ANGELES -- — Mike Brown is starting to run out of adjectives to describe De’Aaron Fox.
The Sacramento Kings coach might need a thesaurus with the type of season his high-scoring guard is having.
Fox tied a career high with 44 points as the Kings continued their mastery of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 130-120 victory Wednesday night. It was Fox’s seventh game this season with at least 40 points, fourth-most in the NBA.
“He was amazing. I hate using that word because to me that’s who he is,” Brown said. “It’s hard to score 44 points every single night, especially on the percentage that he did it at, but he is more than capable with his ability. It was a big game for him in a big-game environment.”
Malik Monk added 26 and Domantas Sabonis recorded his 22nd triple-double this season — and fourth in seven games — with 16 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists as the Kings won their fourth straight over the Lakers dating to last season.
Sacramento has won six of the last seven against its Pacific Division rival and remained in seventh place in the Western Conference with a 35-26 record. The Kings are a half-game behind Phoenix for sixth and not having to take part in the play-in tournament.
“Right now where the standings are, if we lose this game, we’re half a game in front of them rather than 2 1/2 like it is now," Fox said. "So right now especially to play teams that are around us in the standings, those games mean a little more.”
LeBron James led the Lakers with 31 points and 13 assists. He came out with 3:56 remaining with the game out of hand after tweaking his left ankle. James has been listed as questionable on the injury report since the All-Star break due to the ankle.
“Some games it's better than others. I didn't feel it during the Oklahoma City game (on Monday) and I didn't feel it tonight until the fourth quarter,” he said. “Some days are better than others.”
Rui Hachimura scored 29, while Anthony Davis had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Los Angeles (34-30) had a chance to make up ground in the conference standings, but remain in 10th.
Sacramento came in having dropped three of its last four, including a 113-109 defeat against Chicago on Monday after it had a 22-point lead late in the third quarter.
The Kings appeared early as if Monday's loss was still bothering them as they fell behind by 19 points in the first quarter. But Sacramento dominated the second quarter, outscoring LA 44-20 to take a 72-57 advantage at halftime.
“We were getting deflections and getting out in transition which was huge for us in the second quarter," Fox said. "We scored 44 points, but I think a lot of that was because of the way that we were playing defensively.”
A 3-pointer by D'Angelo Russell gave the Lakers a 37-18 advantage with 1:52 remaining in the first quarter before the Kings started to rally back.
Sacramento ended the opening 12 minutes with 10 straight points. The Kings trailed 48-40 before closing the half on a 32-9 run.
The Kings started their spurt with 10 straight points. Mitchell's 3-pointer tied it at 48 midway through the quarter before a dunk by Trey Lyles put them on top.
Sacramento was 13 of 14 from the field over the final 7:32 of the first half, including six 3-pointers. Mitchell and Fox scored nine points apiece and Monk added seven.
“They got a few easy opportunities in transition and they were able to get inside and make some tough shots. The sense of urgency we have to be able to maintain that,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “We talk about forcing our will on the game. We obviously initiated it, but we didn’t sustain it and we damn sure didn’t finish it.”
The Kings' largest lead was 22 points late in the third quarter before the Lakers closed the stanza on a 15-5 run.
The Lakers, though, were never able to get it into single digits.