Lakers collapse to the Kings in triple OT.
For the fifth time this season, the Lakers went into overtime and eventually crumble to the Sacramento Kings in triple overtime 141–137 in a sloppy low-scoring matchup, dropping their season record under .500 for the second time this season week at 10–11.
The Lakers had a number of opportunities to win this game, going up by 13 in the fourth quarter to eventually allowing a 25–7 Kings run to give up their biggest margin that led to overtime. LeBron James addressed the question of whether the squad is truly patient or just putting on a brave face when they preach patience, saying: “We’re all disgusted at our losses. But at the same time, you’ve got to stay even-keeled throughout the process. I feel like I played a horrible game individually.”
Sacramento Kings young star DeAaron Fox was the leading scorer in tonight's triple-overtime, finishing with 34 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds to help push past the Lakers.
Playing almost 50 (49 mins) minutes in tonight's triple-overtime game, LeBron James was the Lakers' leading scorer, finishing with 30 points on 10 of 25 shooting from the floor, also adding 11 assists and 7 rebounds on the night. The Struggles came from beyond the arc for James, shooting under 20% on 2 for 13 (15%) from three.
Russell Westbrook had another solid performance for the purple and gold, ending the night with another triple-double, his 5th of the season, finishing the night with a stat line of 29 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. Westbrook also shot a high percentage from the floor in tonight's loss, going 55% (10–18) overall and 50% (2–4) from three.
In tonight's frustrating loss, Malik Monk was another solid performer, finishing the night with 20 points on 8 for 11(73%) shooting from the floor and 4 for 7 (57%) from deep. Monk added 5 rebounds and 3 assists in his 43 minutes of action.
The Lakers will look to try and get plenty of rest off of their triple-overtime loss to prepare for their Sunday matchup against the 4–15 Detroit Pistons. Look for the Lakers to bounce back and take advantage against a low-standing Detroit team.