Game ID: 22400376
Los Angeles Lakers @ Sacramento Kings
Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 6:00 PM ET
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
SAC 26 27 24 22 99LAL 31 25 25 22 103
LAL @ SAC ScoutingLAL @ 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.
SAC availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Lyles missed 6 since 11/27, out tonight
BACK DeRozan back 12/01 after 2, 35 min since (96% of 36)
SAC availability going into 12/12 · 3 days' restOUT Lyles missed 7 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Crowder missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK DeRozan back 12/01 after 2, 34 min since (93% of 36)
SAC availability going into 12/16 · 3 days' restOUT Lyles missed 8 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Crowder missed 3 since 12/06, returns tonight: 5 min (46% of 11)
SAC availability going into 12/19 · 2 days' restOUT Lyles missed 9 since 11/27, out tonight
BACK Crowder back 12/16 after 3, 5 min since (46% of 11)
SAC availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Lyles missed 10 since 11/27, returns tonight: 17 min (87% of 20)
BACK Crowder back 12/16 after 3, 5 min since (46% of 11)
SAC availability going into 12/22 · back-to-backOUT Crowder missed 2 since 12/19, out tonight
BACK Lyles back 12/21 after 10, 17 min since (87% of 20)
SAC availability going into 12/26 · 3 days' restOUT Crowder missed 3 since 12/19, out tonight
BACK Lyles back 12/21 after 10, 18 min since (93% of 20)
SAC availability going into 12/28 · 1 day's restOUT Crowder missed 4 since 12/19, out tonight
BACK Lyles back 12/21 after 10, 21 min since (105% of 20)
SAC availability going into 12/30 · 1 day's restOUT Crowder missed 5 since 12/19, out tonight
BACK Lyles back 12/21 after 10, 21 min since (109% of 20)
LAL availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Reaves missed 4 since 12/01, out tonight
OUT Hayes missed 6 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 17 since 11/04, out tonight
NEW Knecht 19 to 28 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/13 · 4 days' restOUT Reaves missed 5 since 12/01, returns tonight: 30 min (84% of 35)
OUT Hayes missed 7 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 18 since 11/04, out tonight
NEW Vincent 21 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Knecht 19 to 26 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT James missed 2 since 12/08, returns tonight: 34 min (96% of 35)
OUT Hayes missed 8 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 19 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Reaves back 12/13 after 5, 30 min since (84% of 35)
NEW Vincent 21 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Knecht 19 to 24 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/19 · 3 days' restOUT Hayes missed 9 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 20 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK James back 12/15 after 2, 34 min since (96% of 35)
BACK Reaves back 12/13 after 5, 33 min since (93% of 35)
LAL availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Hayes missed 10 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 21 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK James back 12/15 after 2, 34 min since (96% of 35)
BACK Reaves back 12/13 after 5, 33 min since (95% of 35)
NEW Hachimura 32 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Christie 25 to 30 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Hayes missed 11 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 22 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK James back 12/15 after 2, 34 min since (97% of 35)
BACK Reaves back 12/13 after 5, 34 min since (97% of 35)
NEW Hachimura 32 to 38 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Hayes missed 12 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 23 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK James back 12/15 after 2, 34 min since (98% of 35)
BACK Reaves back 12/13 after 5, 35 min since (98% of 35)
LAL availability going into 12/28 · 2 days' restOUT Hayes missed 13 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 24 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK James back 12/15 after 2, 35 min since (99% of 35)
LAL availability going into 12/31 · 2 days' restOUT Hayes missed 14 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 25 since 11/04, out tonight
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 124 a night and allowing 112, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sabonis at 24 and Fox at 23 a game. Without Lyles (10 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 108, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Davis at 30 and James at 25 a game. Without Hayes (10 straight), Vanderbilt (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 15 times a game to Sacramento's 11 and the arc, Sacramento at 41 percent from three to the Lakers' 36. Call it Sacramento 117, the Lakers 111.
12/08 vs UTA 141-97 — SAC notes
SAC won 141-97. SAC shot 57% (57 of 100) to UTA's 39%, 22 of 44 from three, and got to the line 8 times to UTA's 21. SAC turned it over 8 times to UTA's 20. Huerter led with 26 (10 of 14, 6 of 9 from three); Fox added 21, Sabonis 19. The hinge was Q2, 36-22: a lead of 3 became 17, and the lead reached 46. Huerter was the night's best plus/minus at +35.
12/12 @ NOP 111-109 — SAC notes
SAC won 111-109. SAC shot 40% (37 of 92) to NOP's 47%, 10 of 33 from three, and went to the line 29 times to NOP's 20 — 27 points from the stripe to their 17. SAC turned it over 11 times to NOP's 17. Sabonis led with 32 (11 of 15, 9 of 9 at the line); DeRozan added 29, Fox 18. The hinge was Q3, 38-28: SAC came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 8. SAC trailed 53-55 at the half and won the second half 58-54. DeRozan was the night's best plus/minus at +6.
12/16 vs DEN 129-130 — SAC notes
SAC lost 129-130. SAC shot 48% (49 of 102) to DEN's 50%, 12 of 35 from three. The glass went 42-55 against them. Fox led with 29 (11 of 24, 2 of 7 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Sabonis added 28, Monk 25. Q3 was theirs, 35-21, turning a 7-point deficit into a 7-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 109-94 against them. They led by as many as 10. Fox's -13 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/19 vs LAL 100-113 — SAC notes
SAC lost 100-113. SAC shot 45% (37 of 82) to LAL's 40%, 11 of 29 from three, and got to the line 22 times to LAL's 30. SAC turned it over 15 times to LAL's 10, and LAL turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 43-53 against them. Fox led with 26 (7 of 17, 2 of 5 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); Sabonis added 18, Monk 17. Q2 was theirs, 30-25, the deficit cut from 9 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 88-70 against them. Monk's -18 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/21 vs LAL 99-103 — SAC notes
SAC lost 99-103. SAC shot 43% (39 of 90) to LAL's 48%, 10 of 37 from three, and got to the line 14 times to LAL's 21. Fox led with 31 (12 of 17, 3 of 5 from three); Sabonis added 19, DeRozan 12. Q2 was theirs, 27-25, the deficit cut from 5 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 78-72 against them. Fox's -11 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/22 vs IND — 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 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Fox at 25 and Sabonis at 23 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Second night of a back-to-back. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 112, shooting 51 percent and 42 from three, 20 free throws a game; Siakam at 20 and Haliburton at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Nesmith (22 straight), Isa. Jackson (22 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the arc, Indiana at 42 percent from three to Sacramento's 37. Call it Sacramento 116, Indiana 114, Indiana keeping it close.
12/26 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 115, shooting 43 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Fox at 25 and Sabonis at 23 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. 3 days' rest. Detroit comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 122, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Cunningham at 24 and Beasley at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Stewart (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the defense, Sacramento allowing 115 a night to Detroit's 122 and the arc, Detroit at 36 percent from three to Sacramento's 32. Call it Sacramento 116, Detroit 114, Detroit keeping it close.
12/28 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; James at 26 and Reaves at 20 a game. Without Hayes (13 straight), Vanderbilt (24 straight). 2 days' rest. Sacramento comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 116, shooting 44 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Fox at 27 and Sabonis at 20 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-1 a night and Sacramento minus-6 and the defense, the Lakers allowing 108 a night to Sacramento's 116. Call it the Lakers 115, Sacramento 109.
12/30 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 117, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 19 free throws a game; Fox at 27 and Sabonis at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. One day's rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Irving at 28 and Gafford at 13 a game. Without Lively II (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Dallas allowing 105 a night to Sacramento's 117 and the arc, Dallas at 37 percent from three to Sacramento's 32. Call it Dallas 114, Sacramento 111, Sacramento keeping it close.
12/08 vs POR 107-98 — LAL notes
LAL won 107-98. LAL shot 46% (38 of 83) to POR's 42%, 13 of 34 from three. LAL turned it over 11 times to POR's 17. Davis led with 30 (10 of 21, 1 of 4 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Russell added 28, Hachimura 23. The hinge was Q2, 37-17: LAL came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 14, and the lead reached 20. Hachimura was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
12/13 @ MIN 87-97 — LAL notes
LAL lost 87-97. LAL shot 38% (33 of 86) to MIN's 40%, 10 of 35 from three, and got to the line 17 times to MIN's 24. LAL turned it over 21 times to MIN's 13, and MIN turned those into 12 steals. Davis led with 23 (10 of 21, 1 of 5 from three); Reaves added 18, Christie 15. Q2 was theirs, 21-18, the deficit cut from 9 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 79-66 against them. Davis's -22 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/15 vs MEM 116-110 — LAL notes
LAL won 116-110. LAL shot 48% (39 of 82) to MEM's 39%, 10 of 34 from three, and went to the line 39 times to MEM's 30 — 28 points from the stripe to their 25. Davis led with 40 (15 of 22, 1 of 4 from three, 9 of 12 at the line); Reaves added 19, James 18. The hinge was Q1, 30-20: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 23.
12/19 @ SAC 113-100 — LAL notes
LAL won 113-100. LAL shot 40% (38 of 94) to SAC's 45%, 12 of 33 from three, and went to the line 30 times to SAC's 22 — 25 points from the stripe to their 15. LAL turned it over 10 times to SAC's 15. The glass went 53-43 for them. Reaves led with 25 (7 of 14, 3 of 7 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Davis added 21, James 19. The hinge was Q1, 37-28: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 16. Hachimura was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
12/21 @ SAC 103-99 — LAL notes
LAL won 103-99. LAL shot 48% (40 of 83) to SAC's 43%, 9 of 35 from three, and went to the line 21 times to SAC's 14 — 14 points from the stripe to their 11. James led with 32 (13 of 24, 1 of 8 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Russell added 20, Reaves 16. The hinge was Q1, 31-26: from level to 5 ahead. Hachimura was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
12/23 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 101, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 26 free throws a game; Davis at 25 and James at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Hayes (11 straight), Vanderbilt (22 straight). One day's rest. Detroit comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 122, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Cunningham at 26 and Beasley at 20 a game. Without Stewart (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 101 a night to Detroit's 122 and the arc, Detroit at 39 percent from three to the Lakers' 32. Call it the Lakers 114, Detroit 111, Detroit keeping it close.
12/25 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 118, shooting 43 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Wiggins at 18 and Curry at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Waters III (2 straight), Post (16 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 105, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 26 free throws a game; James at 24 and Davis at 23 a game. Without Hayes (12 straight), Vanderbilt (23 straight). One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 105 a night to Golden State's 118 and the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-2 a night and Golden State minus-6. Call it Golden State 111, the Lakers 110, the Lakers keeping it close.
12/28 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; James at 26 and Reaves at 20 a game. Without Hayes (13 straight), Vanderbilt (24 straight). 2 days' rest. Sacramento comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 116, shooting 44 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Fox at 27 and Sabonis at 20 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-1 a night and Sacramento minus-6 and the defense, the Lakers allowing 108 a night to Sacramento's 116. Call it the Lakers 115, Sacramento 109.
12/31 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; James at 28 and Reaves at 21 a game. Without Hayes (14 straight), Vanderbilt (25 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 109, shooting 51 percent and 45 from three, 17 free throws a game; Mitchell at 25 and Garland at 23 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Okoro (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 25 free throws a game to Cleveland's 17 and the arc, Cleveland at 45 percent from three to the Lakers' 39. Call it Cleveland 116, the Lakers 114, the Lakers keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAD A. Davis
AR A. Reaves
CK C. Koloko
CR C. Reddish
DK D. Knecht
DR D. Russell
GV G. Vincent
LJ L. James
MC M. Christie
RH R. Hachimura
SACDD D. DeRozan
DF D. Fox
DS D. Sabonis
IJ I. Jones
KE K. Ellis
KH K. Huerter
KM K. Murray
MM M. Monk
TL T. Lyles
LAL/SAC 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
James scores 32, Lakers sweep 2-game set against Kings with 103-99 win
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- — LeBron James had 32 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 103-99 to sweep a two-game set on Saturday.
Trailing 101-99 with 12 seconds left, the Kings had a chance to tie after Anthony Davis missed two free throws but squandered the opportunity after they couldn't secure the rebound. Austin Reaves was fouled and made both free throws to put the game away.
Reaves finished with 16 points, and Davis had 10 points and 15 rebounds as the Lakers completed the sweep after beating the Kings 113-100 on Thursday.
De'Aaron Fox led Sacramento with 31 points. Domantas Sabonis had 19 points and 19 rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan added 12 points for the Kings.
Davis earned his 642nd block and passed Kobe Bryant for the fifth most in franchise history.
Takeaways Lakers: Los Angeles turned the ball over 10 times in the first quarter but only turned it over four times in the remaining three quarters.
Kings: Head coach Mike Brown hoped to see fewer turnovers and fouls from his team, but Sacramento opened the game with a bad pass and a shooting foul on James. The Kings racked up four turnovers in the first five minutes, but when the Lakers started turning it over as well, Sacramento capitalized.
Key moment After Davis missed the second free throw, Rui Hachimura tipped the ball back to Davis who quickly dumped it to Reaves, forcing the Kings to foul.
Key stat Both teams shot under 30% from 3, but Sacramento (27%) had the slight edge over Los Angeles (25.7%).
Up next The Lakers will host the Pistons on Monday, and the Kings will face the Pacers on short rest Sunday.