What we learned as Kings waste big Fox, Domas games in loss to Lakers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – Domantas Sabonis recorded his NBA-leading 25th double-double of the season but the Kings’ offense went flat over the final 60 seconds and Sacramento lost to the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time in three days, falling 103-99 on Saturday at Golden 1 Center.
Sabonis had 19 points, 19 rebounds and five assists to move past Arnie Risen for seventh place on the Kings’ franchise charts with 179 career double-doubles.
De’Aaron Fox had 31 points, five rebounds and seven assists for the Kings, who fell to 13-16. DeMar DeRozan scored 12 points while Keegan Murray added 10.
Sacramento fell behind early and played from catch-up most of the afternoon but got within 101-99 following Sabonis’ three-point play with 1:11 minutes remaining.
With the Golden 1 Center crowd on its feet, the Kings couldn’t complete the comeback despite the Lakers missing three of four free throw attempts over the final 12 seconds.
Here are the takeaways from Saturday’s game:
Fox flowing
The Kings’ point guard, whose name has come up in recent trade rumors, continued to show why his popularity is rising across the NBA. Fox was Sacramento’s leading scorer in each of the first three quarters, reaching deep into his bag of tricks to score against the bigger and more aggressive Lakers.
Fox, who had one of his better shooting games while knocking down 12 of 17 shots, has scored 20 or more points in each of his last three games and nine of the past 11.
Bullied by LeBron
James did anything he wanted against the Kings and met little resistance. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer was particularly effective in the key, repeatedly lowering his shoulder and banging into defenders to clear a path toward the hoop.
One observer said the Kings were too soft, but the issue goes beyond that. The defense was often too slow to rotate and help, leaving James in some ridiculous one-on-one matchups. When Sacramento did double-team him, LBJ was quick to kick the ball out to an open shooter.
Quality time for Keon
With Malik Monk now a regular in Mike Brown’s starting lineup, Keon Ellis has assumed the title of the Kings’ most critical and effective player off the bench.
Ellis doesn’t provide a lot of offense but his willingness to play defense and do whatever it takes on that end makes him stand out.
At one point in the third quarter, the 6-foot-5 guard made a clean steal and swiped the ball from Lakers’ 6-foot-10 forward Anthony Davis. Ellis finished with just five points but two rebounds, one assist and two steals in 14 minutes.
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