LeBron James and Anthony Davis highlight lack of offensive boards as no. 1 reason for loss to Kings
The LA Lakers duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James noted the team's lack of efforts crashing the boards in the offensive end as the main reason for their 120-107 loss to the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Arena in Sacramento, California.
Apart from the nine offensive rebounds secured by the Kings on Wednesday, they also capitalized on the rebounds by converting them into 16 second-chance points. James told Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
"When you stop an offensive team like that and then they get a second chance and the kick out ... they get an offensive rebound and they hit a three. Those are always the ones that kill you."
Pointing to the kick-out 3-pointers, the Sacramento Kings had a field day beyond the rainbow arc, shooting 19-of-41. Harrison Barnes had the most 3-pointers for the Kings, with seven, while Keegan Murray was not far behind, with five.
Davis also concurred that the offensive boards and second-chance shots cost the Lakers the game against Sacramento:
"Any loss is frustrating, especially when you allow a team to beat you because of your mistakes. Turnovers, offensive rebounds, miscues on defense ... we allowed a team to beat us."
How Anthony Davis and LeBron James fared against the Sacramento Kings
The tandem of Anthony Davis and LeBron James are expected to carry the team to victory each night as the Lakers seek another championship.
LeBron James had a near triple-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists but only shot 6-of-16 from the field and 2-of-8 from the 3-point line. He also committed five turnovers and had a -10 rating.
Meanwhile, Anthony Davis had a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds while also chipping in three assists, one steal and one block. He shot 7-of-18 from the field and had just two turnovers.
Keeping the game close for the Lakers was Austin Reaves, leading the team in scoring with 28 points, along with six rebounds, four assists and seven 3-point buckets. Rui Hachimura also had a good night, scoring 17 points in the first half but was only limited to one shot in the second, finishing the game with 20 points.
The LA Lakers (36-31) return to the Crypto.com Arena for four straight home games starting Mar. 16. They go up against the Golden State Warriors (34-31), who are just below them, in 10th, in the Western Conference.