The hit was coming, the Lakers and JJ Redick were sure of it.
Sacramento is in complete turmoil, with the Lakers winning their second straight game against the Kings on home soil last week — a series of events that led to team coach Mike Brown being fired on the way to board a flight to Los Angeles.
Beating the Kings for the fourth time this season was already a tall order. If there was a major change like a coaching change, Sacramento would surely fly all over the court like the turbo button was turned off.
The Lakers will have to respond and match power with power and speed with speed, and they’ll have to do it without LeBron James, who was homesick.
But just as they found a way through Christmas with Anthony Davis sidelined with an ankle injury, the Lakers won again Saturday, 132-122, with former Laker (and rival) Doug Christie’s Ruined his first game as the Kings’ interim coach.
“I think it’s growth,” Austin Reeves said of the Lakers’ energy. “I see our whole group growing.”
Reeves, who hit the game-winning shot against the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, adjusted his offense in James’ absence, scoring 26 points and dishing out a career-high 16 assists. Davis returned to the floor Wednesday for just seven minutes and dominated against Domantas Sabonis, posting 36 points (on just 16 shots), 15 rebounds and eight assists. And Rui Hachimura needed just 11 shots to score 21 points while giving the Lakers the physicality and wing activity they needed on both ends of the court.
Sabonis scored 14 points before fouling out in the 26th minute. De’Aaron Fox finished with 29 points and 12 assists and DeMar DeRozan had 25 points for the Kings (13-19).
“We’re playing together, we have a great offense, our guys are flying around, cutting hard, screening hard, doing what we’re supposed to do,” Davis said. “The ball popped. … Our offense was good, we figured some things out in the first quarter, our guys were making shots, which contributed to the assists. We were getting close to the line. We were just playing for each other.”
The Lakers (18-13) led by as many as 20 points after a dominant third quarter where they outscored the Kings 42-24. The Lakers defense responded to Davis’ reprimand by arriving and turning the game into a close contest. Sacramento got close in the fourth, but the Lakers hit enough big shots and made enough defensive plays to keep the game from getting too tense.
The Lakers shot 59.7 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from 3-point range, both season highs. His 33 assists matched a season high.
“Just the willingness of our players to pass,” Reddick said. “That was very emphasized in today’s meeting. It has been very emphasized for the last seven to 10 days. It can be a simple game with some complex ideas, but We want to run, we want to pass and we want to screen. That’s what we want to emphasize.”
In addition to the Lakers not having any concerns about James and his illness, more help is coming. Jackson Hayes, who missed the last 14 games with an ankle sprain, is scheduled to return Tuesday against first-place Cleveland.
