Darius Acuff Jr. #5 of the Sacramento Kings drives to the basket between Quentin Grimes #5 and Collin Sexton #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half of their game at Golden 1 Center on November 04, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory photo credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
SACRAMENTO, — The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center. The Kings returned home after their first prolonged road trip of the season, playing four games and getting their first win of the season on Monday against the Mavericks in Dallas. On Wednesday, the Kings welcomed the Lakers to town for a 7 p.m. PST tip.
The Kings lost to the Lakers 116-103 on Wednesday, while their record fell to 1-7 so far this season.
In the first quarter, neither team was able to create much separation in what felt like the beginning of a very grinding game for both teams. The Kings and Lakers both scored 28 points in the first quarter as they shot 47% and 42%, respectively, to start the game. It was De’Andre Hunter who paced the Kings in the first quarter with eight points, while Luka Doncic led all scorers with 10 points.
In the second quarter, the game came to a screeching halt. Lots of fouls and messy plays led to a slow game. However, Luka Doncic turned the game into a Luka Doncic show late in the quarter as he scored 13 points to propel the Lakers to a 61-54 halftime lead. The Lakers outscored the Kings 33-26 to take the lead after 24 minutes as Luka finished the first half with 23 points to lead all scorers, while the Kings were paced by Darius Acuff Jr., who had 14 points.
In the third quarter, it was the Lakers again making their presence known and shutting down any attempts by the Kings to take a lead. Luka Doncic added 12 more points in the third quarter to bring his game total up to 35 as the Lakers entered the fourth quarter leading 87-74. The Lakers outscored the Kings 26-20 in the third as the Kings’ offense dried up. Darius Acuff Jr. did what he could to keep the Kings in it with eight points in the third, but the Kings needed a sizable comeback in the fourth quarter to earn their second win of the year.
In the fourth quarter, the Kings weren’t able to mount any meaningful comeback as they fell to the Lakers 116-103. In the fourth quarter, each team scored 29 points. Leading the game in scoring was Luka Doncic, who finished with 40 points. For the Kings, Darius Acuff Jr. led the way with 22 points in the game on 8-of-24 shooting from the field.
After the game, Domantas Sabonis spoke on where he felt the Kings came up short.
“We just talked in the locker room,” Domas said after the game. “Second half, I think we didn’t score points and we didn’t execute as well on the defensive end and that’s where the game kind of got away.”
Zach LaVine spoke after the game and lamented his turnovers (six in the game) as well as the team’s struggles in that area.
“We got a cut down on turnovers,” LaVine said postgame. “I had a couple dumb ones and we had a couple just unfortunate plays too.”
The Kings will stay home to take on the San Antonio Spurs on Friday at 7 p.m. PST at Golden 1 Center.
