Controversial call proves costly as struggling Sacramento Kings lose to Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James scored 32 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Kings 103-99 on Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
The Kings would have had an opportunity to tie the game in the final seconds, but the ball was awarded to the Lakers on a controversial out-of-bounds call.
Replays appeared to show the ball was last touched by Lakers star Anthony Davis, but the Kings were out of coach’s challenges after getting two earlier calls overturned. Kings coach Mike Brown said “even LeBron was laughing at that call.”
D’Angelo Russell came off the bench to score 20 points for the Lakers (16-12), who have won three in a row and four of their last five.
De’Aaron Fox had 31 points, five rebounds and seven assists for the Kings (13-16), who have lost three in a row to start a five-game homestand.
The Kings will be back in action when they face the Indiana Pacers on Sunday at Golden 1 Center.
Stat leaders
Domantas Sabonis had 19 points, 19 rebounds and five assists for Sacramento. DeMar DeRozan scored 12 points and Keegan Murray added 10 while Malik Monk was held to seven points on 3-of-14 shooting.
Austin Reaves scored 16 points for the Lakers. Davis had 10 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Injury update
Murray (ankle) and Trey Lyles (calf) were cleared to play after being listed as questionable for Saturday’s game. Lyles returned to post three points and three rebounds in 17 minutes after missing the past 10 games with a right calf strain.
Sabonis, who has been dealing with a back contusion, was listed as questionable when he was added to the injury report about two hours before the game. Kings coach Mike Brown said Sabonis would go through pregame warmups before his status was determined. Sabonis was cleared to play about 30 minutes before tipoff.
The Lakers cleared Davis (elbow) James (foot) to play after listing them as questionable on the injury report.
Halftime report
The Lakers led 7-0 and 17-7 after the Kings got off to another slow start, going 2 of 10 from the field with four turnovers in the first five minutes. The Kings came back to take a 49-47 lead late in the second quarter, but the Lakers led 56-53 at the half.
James put on a show in the first half, scoring 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting with five rebounds and three assists. Fox led the way for the Kings, scoring 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
Second-half squabble
The Kings and Lakers traded leads 12 times in the third period. The Lakers went up by seven early in the fourth quarter. The Kings came back to tie the game on a basket by Sabonis, but the Lakers responded with a 12-2 run to go up by 10.
The Kings cut the deficit to two on a three-point play by Sabonis with 1:11 to play, but a controversial out-of-bounds call in the final seconds prevented them from getting an opportunity to tie the game.
Up next
The Kings will play the Pacers in another matinee affair Sunday at Golden 1 Center.
The Pacers (13-15) have won three in a row and four of their last five. They are led by Pascal Siakam (20.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.5 apg) and former Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton (18.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 8.7 apg).
Sacramento is 3-3 in back-to-backs this season.
Upcoming schedule
Dec. 22 vs. Indiana Pacers
Dec. 26 vs. Detroit Pistons
Dec. 28 at Los Angeles Lakers
Dec. 30 vs. Dallas Mavericks
Jan. 1 vs. Philadelphia 76ers
This story was originally published December 21, 2024 at 6:31 PM.
