Stockton Kings forward Isaiah Crawford (11) runs the floor against the South Bay Lakers at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton on Sat Jan 11, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings kept rolling as they hosted the South Bay Lakers on Saturday night. The Kings entered the night 5-1 on the season, while the Lakers were 1-4.

The Kings, led by Mason Jones (23 points), Terry Taylor (23) and Skal Labissiere (20) offensively. Meanwhile, those in attendance didn’t get to see the biggest name playing in South Bay, as Bronny James didn’t travel with the team. Instead, the Lakers saw strong offensive performances from Quincy Olivari and Jordan Goodwin, who both had 22 points on the night.

Jones had a strong night in terms of scoring, but he simply wasn’t afraid to shoot. He had 15 attempts from beyond the arc, going 6-15 from three and 6-18 overall. Every Kings starter was in double-digits for points, an impressive feat in itself but they also got some relief from their second unit.

Isaiah Crawford and new addition Chasson Randle both did a great job disrupting the Lakers defensively, as they had four and three steals respectively on the night.

Turnovers were truly the difference-maker, as the Lakers out rebounded the Kings and were even more efficient. They had five more turnovers than Stockton though, and it ended up being just a six point game. If South Bay had been more careful with their possessions, it could’ve easily been a win for the struggling team.

The Lakers nearly launched a late comeback, outscoring Stockton by 14 points in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late as the Kings walked away with a 113-107 victory against the team from Southern California.

The Kings narrowly avoided a loss to a team that hasn’t had a great start to the season, but for coach Quinton Crawford, a win is a win at this juncture. The Kings find themselves second in the Western Conference, behind only the 5-0 Santa Cruz Warriors. The Kings will now head on the road, as they’ll visit the Salt Lake City Stars on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City, Utah.