Lakers Take Down Kings Without LeBron in Wild Win

The Lakers were ready for the storm, and the vibes were intense.

Sacramento was straight-up spiraling after the Lakers snatched two Ws in their house last week, so much so they fired their coach Mike Brown on the way to the airport.

With all that drama, the Kings were bound to hit the court like they were stuck on turbo mode. The Lakers needed to match their energy, but they had to do it without LeBron, who was home battling some sickness.

But no Bron? No problem. Just like they clutched up on Christmas without AD, they pulled through again Saturday, taking down the Kings 132-122 and ruining Doug Christie’s debut as interim coach.

Austin Reaves showed out, running the offense like a pro, dropping 26 points and serving up a career-high 16 dimes. AD? Total beast mode—36 points, 15 boards, and 8 assists. Rui Hachimura brought big energy too, hitting 21 points on just 11 shots and locking it down on both ends of the floor.

Meanwhile, the Kings were trying to keep up, but it wasn’t their night. Sabonis fouled out after 14 points in 26 minutes, while De’Aaron Fox (29 points, 12 assists) and DeMar DeRozan (25 points) tried to keep it respectable.

The Lakers hit a season-high shooting 59.7% from the field and 53.8% from deep. They even flexed in the third quarter, outscoring Sacramento 42-24 and leading by as much as 20.

Oh, and heads up—help is on the way. Jaxson Hayes is coming back Tuesday after missing 14 games, just in time for their showdown against Cleveland.