Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton spoils LeBron James’ return in bounce-back win over Lakers
Four-time MVP LeBron James returned to the lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night following the longest absence of his career, but Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton spoiled the occasion.
Forty-eight hours after suffering one of the worst losses in franchise history, the Kings bounced back with one of their best wins of the season, beating the Lakers 110-106 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Haliburton finished with 23 points and 10 assists, becoming the first Kings rookie to post at least 20 points and 10 assists in a game since Ray McCallum on March 31, 2014.
Haliburton made 8 of 14 from the field and 4 of 8 from 3-point range for the Kings (26-37), who were coming off the fourth-biggest loss in team history after losing to the Utah Jazz by 49 points on Wednesday.
“That loss kind of woke me up a lot,” Haliburton said. “It’s one thing to lose. It’s another thing to be disrespected, you know, to not play with any pride. It definitely was a wake-up call.”
Richaun Holmes had 22 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento. Terence Davis came off the bench to score 15 points. Delon Wright added 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
Marvin Bagley III returned for the Kings after missing 23 games with a fractured fourth metacarpal in his left hand. Bagley had 11 points, four rebounds and two steals in 21 minutes.
“I’m just grateful to be back out there with the team,” said Bagley, who was under an unspecified minutes restriction. “I’m feeling pretty good. I just thank God that I was able to heal up and be back here.”
Anthony Davis had 22 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Lakers (36-27). Andre Drummond had 17 points and seven rebounds. James finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in his first game since March 20.
James returned after missing 20 games with a right ankle sprain. His first jumper came up short and then he fired a no-look pass into the back row of the Lakers’ bench, but it wasn’t long before he brushed off the rust.
Bagley checked in for the first time with 3:14 to play in the opening period and promptly threw down a dunk to put the Kings up 25-13. Sacramento went up by as many as 15 in the first quarter, but the Lakers responded with an 18-4 run to take the lead in the second.
Los Angeles led 56-55 at the half and went up by six in the third quarter. The Kings came back to take a five-point lead with two minutes to play in the fourth. James made a driving layup to cut the deficit to two with 39.8 seconds to play, but he missed a 3-pointer that would have given the Lakers the lead with 2.7 seconds remaining.
Another hard fall for Metu
Kings big man Chimezie Metu left the game in a lot of pain after suffering another scary fall late in the first half.
Metu crashed to the floor after attempting to dunk over Davis, who stepped in front of Metu to take a charge. Metu fell hard on his lower back and appeared to hit his head as well.
Metu writhed on the floor in pain for a few minutes before he was helped to his feet and led to the locker room for treatment. The Kings later announced Metu would not return to the game due to lower back soreness. He finished with 10 points and three rebounds in 14 minutes. Kings coach Luke Walton said X-rays were negative.
Metu missed 17 games after breaking his right wrist earlier this season. He sustained that injury after dunking on Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas, who took exception to the play and threw Metu to the floor.
Still sidelined
Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox missed his fourth game a week after entering NBA health and safety protocols. Walton said he still doesn’t have a timeline for Fox’s return.
“It’s health and safety protocols, which is different than dealing with the injuries you’re familiar with, so this is going to come strictly based on the rules of the NBA,” Walton said.
Kings forward Harrison Barnes missed his second game with left adductor tightness. Barnes accompanied the team to Los Angeles to start the four-game road trip. Walton said Barnes is feeling better and has done some individual work. He is considered day-to-day.
Up next
The Kings will face the Dallas Mavericks for the third time in 15 days when they go into American Airlines Center on Sunday with a chance to complete a surprising sweep of the season series.
Fox had 30 points and 12 assists in a 121-107 victory over the Mavericks on April 18 in Dallas. The Kings beat the Mavericks 113-106 on Monday in Sacramento despite the absence of Fox, who missed the game due to health and safety protocols.
Those are the only games the Mavericks (35-27) have lost since April 18. They’ve won six of seven since that first loss to the Kings, picking up two wins over the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers and a win over the Golden State Warriors. They beat the Pistons on Thursday despite the absence of Luka Doncic, who was out with a left elbow contusion.
Injury report
Kings: OUT — Harrison Barnes (adductor); De’Aaron Fox (health and safety protocols); Robert Woodard II (back).
Lakers: OUT — Alex Caruso (back); Jared Dudley (MCL); LeBron James (ankle).
Kings upcoming schedule
May 2 at Dallas Mavericks, 5 p.m.
May 4 at Oklahoma City Thunder, 5 p.m.
May 5 at Indiana Pacers, 5 p.m.
May 7 vs. San Antonio Spurs, 7 p.m.
May 9 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 7 p.m.
