Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings reacts after he made a three-point basket over LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center on January 12, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings took on the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday on the second night of a back-to-back after defeating the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. The Kings got their revenge on the Lakers on Monday, defeating them 124-112.

In the first quarter of the game, the Kings brought high energy and effort on the defensive end of the floor, which led to their offense. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan led the way for the Kings in the first quarter as they got the scoring going with nine and eight points, respectively, as the Kings outscored the Lakers 32-28. On the Lakers’ end, LeBron James and Luka Doncic also got going early as they scored 10 and 11 points, respectively, to open the game. The Kings’ defense was doing a good job on the others in the Lakers lineup but was struggling to defend the Lakers’ stars.

In the second quarter, the Kings started to take command of the game and pull away from the Lakers. Malik Monk dominated the second quarter as he scored 18 of the Kings’ 29 points in the frame. In large part due to Monk, the Kings outscored the Lakers 29-26 and took a 61-54 lead into halftime. The Kings shot 53% from the field and an impressive 61% from deep in the first half, which propelled them to the lead. On the other hand, the Lakers couldn’t buy a bucket from the perimeter, shooting an abysmal 15% from deep in the first half.

In the third quarter, it was more of the same from the Kings. The Kings continued to pressure the Lakers on the defensive end as the Lakers’ tough shooting night continued. The Kings outscored the Lakers 34-29 in the third despite a 14-point performance from Dončić in the quarter. DeRozan and Russell Westbrook kept the Kings’ pace up on the offensive end as they scored 11 and 13 points, respectively, in the quarter.

The Kings went into the fourth quarter with a 95-83 lead and looked to close out the Lakers in the final 12 minutes.

The Lakers weren’t able to handle the Kings in the fourth quarter, as the Kings and Lakers each scored 29 points in the frame, allowing the Kings to win the game 124-112. Despite a 42-point effort from Dončić, followed by a 22-point performance from James, the Kings managed to prevent any of the others from doing much damage.

The Kings showed a strong effort for a full 48 minutes on Monday to win their second straight game and the second night of a back-to-back.

Doug Christie has been preaching effort and “compete level” all year, and he has gotten a taste of it over the last few games.

“I told them before the game that you’re going to face adversity in life—adversity doesn’t miss you—but for them, their willingness to continue to compete and overcome that, that’s what it says a lot about who you are in those moments,” Christie said after the game.

Christie has also voiced his desire for the team to play to a certain level of pride—Kings pride. He discussed his players being able to be proud of the way they play after the game.

“You’re going to win some, whatever, but you play like that with your heart like that. You can look at yourself in the mirror.”

Up next: The Kings will stay home to take on the New York Knicks on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PST inside Golden 1 Center.