Just when it looked like the Los Angeles Lakers were finding their mojo, they regressed. The same problems that had held them back prior to the three-game winning streak returned Wednesday.
They hosted the Sacramento Kings, a team that had also won three games in a row. From the start, there were red flags. De’Aaron Fox scored a quick and-one off the opening tip. That seemed to set the tone.
The Lakers fell behind, 37-17, in the first quarter as Sacramento continually earned easy baskets in transition, especially from 3-point range. The Lakers went on a 15-1 run to make the game more competitive, but the Kings reasserted themselves and took a 13-point lead at halftime. L.A. drew no closer than six points in the second quarter. The Kings scored 16 points off eight Laker turnovers and outrebounded the Purple and Gold by eight, which led to 13 second-chance points in the first half.
The game grew even worse for L.A. in the second half. It trailed by as many as 26 points early in the fourth quarter. It made a run to come within nine with just over three minutes left, but it was too little, too late, and it fell 125-110.
In the end, turnovers may have been the Lakers’ biggest problem. They gave up the ball 23 times, which led to 30 points for Sacramento. It was a replay of many of the problems that caused them to lose five of their first eight games.
They are 6-6 as they prepare to visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.