Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) gets a pass off by Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) and center Alex Len (25) at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Jan 12, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Wednesday night in Sacramento. On Monday, the Kings last played and lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-108. It was a tough loss for the Kings, who had the chance to win the game with the final shot.

However, De’Aaron Fox missed the last shot as the Kings lost. On Wednesday, the Kings welcomed Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers to town. The Kings had played the Lakers tough this year and were hoping to win against the rival from Los Angeles. The Kings won the game by the final of 125-116 against the Lakers. 

In the first quarter, the Kings defense got off to a rough start. The Kings allowed the Lakers to score 34 points to put themselves in an early hole in the first quarter. Fortunately for the Kings, the offense got off to a decent start. The Kings scored 29 points in the first quarter to trail the Lakers by only five after the first. However, the Kings would need to tighten up the defensive end to stay in the game long term. 

In the second quarter, it was rough early for the Kings. The Kings started the second, struggling to score the basket and allowing the Lakers to get pretty much whatever they wanted. However, the Kings turned up the intensity towards the end of the second as they began driving more to the basket and taking fewer perimeter shots. The Lakers outscored the Kings 33-32 in the second quarter to marginally increase their lead going into halftime.

The Lakers were led in the first half by Lebron James, who had 17 points. The Kings strongest first-half performance came from De’Aaron Fox, who scored 14 points. Nevertheless, the Kings trailed the Lakers, heading into halftime 67-61. 

In the third quarter, it was all Kings. That pretty much sums up the quarter perfectly. The Kings had an offensive outburst as they scored 40 points in the third quarter to take the lead on the Lakers. On the other hand, the Lakers only scored 23 points in the third to put themselves behind the Kings 101-90 heading into the fourth quarter. Could Lebron James and the Lakers come back to defeat the Kings? We found out in the final 12 minutes. 

In the fourth quarter, the Kings played tough. The Lakers outscored the Kings in the final quarter 26-24, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Kings surge in the third quarter. The Kings defeated the Lakers by the final of 125-116 and improved to 17-27 on the season.

The Lakers dropped to 21-21 on the year as Lebron James couldn’t bring his team back to victory. However, Lebron James led the game in scoring with 34 points. The Kings leading scorer was De’Aaron Fox, who scored 29 points for the Kings. It was an excellent win for the Kings with an electric crowd behind them at Golden One Center. 

Up Next: The Kings take on the Houston Rockets on Friday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.