After a hard-fought loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, the Lakers looked to bounce back against the Sacramento Kings
At Staples Center, D’Angelo Russell struggled mightily from the field while Damian Lillard scored a game high 30, but the Lakers kept almost pulled it out anyway, losing 109-106 in overtime.
Thursday, Los Angeles took on a shorted-handed Sacramento Kings squad in Las Vegas, battling back from a 19-point point deficit in the first half but sputtering in the fourth quarter, falling 116-104 in Sin City.
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Far and away the biggest bright spot for Los Angeles was D’Angelo Russell, who scored 31 points in a team-high 32 minutes. After missing all nine of his shots Tuesday night, Russell recovered quickly, nailing 6 of his 7 tries from downtown.
Overall, it was a disappointing effort, especially considering the personal on the floor. The Kings rested All-Star Demarcus Cousins and several bench players while Luke Walton gave heavy minutes to all the major rotational players.
Anthony Tolliver was largely the culprit, going an astonishing 7-for-7 from downtown.
It was certainly a mixed bag from the Lakers, but a good learning experience nonetheless. Here’s what we learned from Thursday’s loss To Sacramento.