Tag: South Bay Lakers

Forward Isaac Jones (3) led the Stockton Kings in scoring with 18 points to help defeat the visiting South Bay Lakers at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton on Wed Jan 22, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings returned home after a big win over the Santa Cruz Warriors to take on the South Bay Lakers on Wednesday. The Kings came away with a 112-99 win improve to 9-2 and in first place in the Western Conference.

The Lakers got out to an early lead, but the two teams went back-and-forth never allowing them to truly pull away. After a few minutes, both teams struggled to get a stop and the lead changed hands multiple times.

Eventually, the Kings would get the lead on a Jon Elmore three-pointer, which Elmore followed up with a couple of free throws, giving Stockton a two-possession lead for the first time in the game. Elmore and Isaac Jones were dominant early on, as halfway through the first they combined for 21 of the Kings’ 23 points.

The Lakers brought it back to within a single point with roughly five minutes remaining in the first frame, and ultimately ended up tying it off of a free throw by Sir’Jabari Rice. They’d be unable to regain the lead though, and once the Kings extended their lead back to six points, the Lakers were forced to take a timeout. At the end of the first, the Kings led 36-33 after a high-scoring start to the night.

Momentum shifted in the second quarter, as the Lakers found themselves in the lead halfway through. They had bounced back and were up 47-41 after a strong start on both ends of the court. Although the Kings’ offense woke up a bit in the second half of the frame, the Lakers kept the lead heading into half-time with a score of 54-50.

The Lakers were never able to pull away to start the third quarter, and eventually, a three from Elmore would give the Kings the lead once again with six minutes remaining. From there, they’d maintain the lead for the rest of the third. Dexter Dennis threw down an emphatic dunk to give the Kings an 80-74 lead heading into the final quarter.

Isaac Jones was able to extend Stockton’s lead to double digits just a minute into the fourth quarter, but the Lakers weren’t going to give up easily. Within 20 seconds, the lead was already cut in half and it was anybody’s game.

Within a minute, the Lakers were back within a single possession. The Kings didn’t get discouraged though, and momentum was quickly back in their favor as they put the lead back up to 92-84 and South Bay was forced to take a time out to cool Stockton’s run.

From there, the Lakers would occasionally make it a bit closer but they were unable to take the lead. The Kings would maintain their lead and walk away with a 112-99 win, in big part due to Isaac Jones’ 35 point performance.

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.