Lakers coach JJ Redick He was asked before Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings how he could ensure his players wouldn’t underestimate a nine-win team.
“We don’t consider any game a win,” Redick said.
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Then the Kings marched all over the Lakers, taking a 20-point lead in the third quarter before winning 124-112 at the Golden 1 Center.
Luka Doncic did his best to keep the Lakers in the game, scoring 42 points and grabbing eight assists and seven rebounds. But he scored just two points in the fourth quarter and looked slower after getting his left thigh wrapped late in the third quarter.
Learn more: Luka Doncic and LeBron James both falter at the end as Lakers lose to Bucks
The Lakers came within seven points in the fourth, but the Kings pulled away. DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points and Russell Westbrook finished with 22 points and seven assists for the Kings (10-30), who shot 59 percent from the field (48-82) and made 17 three-pointers.
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LeBron James, who scored 22 points, wore a patch on his jersey commemorating his unprecedented 23rd NBA season in the city where he played his first NBA game. It features a silhouette of his pregame chalk toss and three colored stripes that represent the three franchises he played for: the Lakers, Cavaliers and Heat.
He will wear the badge for the rest of the season. After each game, the patch will be removed from his jersey, dated and shipped to a Topps production facility to be authenticated and inserted into a trading card pack.
LeBron James is wearing a special patch on his jersey commemorating his unprecedented 23rd NBA season. (Justine Willard/Associated Press)
The Lakers (23-14) looked strong early when Deandre Ayton won the jump ball and ultimately threw a lobbed pass to James for a 2-0 Lakers lead, a play that became something the Lakers used repeatedly to start a game.
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James made his first four shots and the Lakers took an 8-2 lead before everything started to fall apart.
They trailed 59-43 at the end of the second quarter. They couldn’t stop Malik Monk, who had 18 points coming off the bench on six of eight shooting, including five of six from three-point range. Monk finished with 26 points.
After a hot start, James finished the first half going five of 12 from the field for 12 points. He finished the match shooting eight for 17.
Lakers star LeBron James, right, confronts Sacramento Kings forward Precious Achiuwa during the first half on Monday. James finished with 22 points. (Justine Willard/Associated Press)
The Lakers will face the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. When the Lakers played a back-to-back game last week, James missed the second game. Will he do the same thing on Tuesday?
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“We’ll see how he feels in the morning,” Redick said.
Maybe Rui Hachimura will make his return from a sore right calf. He was available to play Monday, but missed his seventh straight game.
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This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
