NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from the Sacramento Kings' buzzer-beater win over the LeBron-less Lakers
LeBron James was held out for this game, owing to the groin strain he suffered against the Warriors, ending his consecutive games played streak at 156. Even with no King at the helm against the Sacramento Kings, LA put up a dominant show of quality fast-paced basketball, only to let loose in the final moments for a heartbreaking 117-116 buzzer-beater loss.
Coming into this one, the Kings had just been beaten by the Clippers - the team in line to face the Lakers next - while LA's most recent romp of the Warriors on Christmas day was still fresh in our memories. The result means that Sacramento has now won six out of their last ten games, improving to a season-best 19-16(0.543) on the West leaderboard. They currently hold the eighth spot.
The Lakers were stuck in the upper-echelons of the West's logjammed standings but the loss has now dragged them down to the fifth position, with a 20-15(0.571) win-loss record. They have now lost four out of their last six games.
Let's draw out some key takeaways from this thrilling buzzer-beater victory by the Kings over the Lakers.
#1 The Lakers held their ground for three-and-a-half quarters, but then things started to slip
Los Angeles had an 11-point cushion at the start of the fourth quarter, and led 104-89 with just 6:44 remaining in the game, before Sacramento surged to take it all.
They got to within two points of the Lakers in the final 4.3 seconds of the game. The ball was inbounded to Bogdanovic and in Kuzma's words, he "made a hell of a shot over a 7-footer at the buzzer" to edge past for a one-point lead and victory.
Bogdanovic dropped 12 of his 23 points in the final quarter as the Kings outscored the visitors 33-21 to rally from 15 points down for a win.
Luke Walton pinned the loss on the team's failures in rebounding and defense late in the game, clearly not addressing LeBron's absence down the stretch,
"Those type of things are what cost us the game, not not having him at the end or that shot that Bogdanovic hit," Walton said.