Austin Reaves had a career night once again, scoring 51 points to lead the Lakers, without Luka Dončić or LeBron James, to a big road win over the Kings, 127-120.
Reaves’ 51 points came on just 12-22 shooting as he went 21-22 at the free throw line. He flirted with a triple-double as well, tallying 11 rebounds and nine assists. Rui Hachimura scored 18 points with two steals. Deandre Ayton pitched in with 22 points, 15 rebounds and two assists.
Marcus Smart notched 11 points with five assists. Jarred
Vanderbilt had nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Sacramento’s Keon Ellis opened the first period with a quick dunk. Both teams committed a couple of turnovers before settling in. The Lakers involved Ayton early, letting him be aggressive offensively. Hachimura was a perfect 4-4 from the field and was the first Laker in double figures with 10.
Los Angeles was up 10 at the 3:16 mark.
DeMar DeRozan scored a quick six points from his usual midrange shots. Jake LaRavia knocked down a 3-pointer to stop the DeRozan run. The Lakers didn’t look to score much from behind the arc, only taking five attempts.
At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by nine. They scored 18 of their 36 points in the paint.
A pair of former Lakers, Malik Monk and Russell Westbrook, scored a combined seven points to open the second quarter. Los Angeles started struggling mightily on offense, allowing the Kings to score 13 points.
The only point for LA came from a pair of free throws from Smart. Sacramento took the lead by two at the 8:34 mark. The Lakers seemed to abandon their aggressiveness in the paint, launching six more triples but converting only one.
Westbrook was suddenly automatic from behind the arc, draining his third 3-pointer of the half.
The teams began exchanging the lead. With 4:22 left until halftime, the Lakers were up by one. Ayton ignited for six more points, putting him in double figures with 13 points.
At halftime, the game was tied.
Ayton’s strong performance continued as he scored a quick four points to open the second half. The game was still a back-and-forth affair as neither team could establish any kind of big lead.
Gabe Vincent rolled his ankle at the 8:19 mark and went straight to the locker room. He would be ruled out for the rest of the game early in the fourth quarter.
Zach LaVine heated up for six points to help the Kings take a lead of two. The Lakers were on a three-minute scoring run, but finally scored on a layup from Vanderbilt at the 4:11 mark.
Reaves drained what was just the third made 3-pointer for LA. They were shooting 18% from behind the arc. Sacramento began committing dumb fouls, leading to the Lakers, namely Reaves, living at the charity stripe. He was 17-18 from there.
Reaves added to his monster game with another five points late in the period. Going into the fourth, Los Angeles was up by five.
The final frame started shaky for LA with the Kings going up by two after a quick 7-0 scoring run. As soon as Reaves checked back into the game, he launched and drained two straight 3-pointers to give Los Angeles the lead by two.
Los Angeles was riding high on the shoulders of Reaves, who was not only scoring but also facilitating the ball with nine assists. Hachimura pitched in with four of his own.
LaVine drained a ridiculous 3-pointer and converted on the three-point play. LaRavia then converted on a three-point play himself. Sacramento scored four straight after those plays.
Some clutch free throws down the stretch from Reaves put the icing on the cake for a big-time win and a massive 51-point performance from him.
Key Takeaways:
Whether he is the first option, second option, or third option…Austin Reaves delivers, and it’s special to witness. ALL-STAR!!!
The Lakers’ next matchup is Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers at 7:30 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
