In a game that went right down to the final possession, the Kings picked up their first win of the 2025-26 NBA season against the Utah Jazz on Friday night. Next up: Los Angeles Lakers. Let’s get to it.
Who: Sacramento Kings (1-1) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (1-1)
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
When: 6:00 PM PT, 9:00 PM ET
Watch: NBCSCA, League Pass
Early season injuries continue to pile up for nearly every NBA team, and tonights matchup between the Kings and Lakers is no different. According to the latest injury report update, the Lakers could be without Luka Doncic (questionable), Jaxson Hayes (questionable), LeBron James (out), Maxi Kleber (out), and Adou Thiero (out), For Doug Christie, he will likely be without Nique Clifford (out), Keegan Murray (out), and Zach LaVine (questionable, illness).
LaVine’s addition to the injury report is a big one – he’s been the Kings’ best scorer, and arguably best player overall, through the first two games of the season. And of course, if Luka is out for the Lakers, this game turns quickly from a toss up to one the Kings should be able to win at home.
While it was nice to see the Kings pick up their first win of the season against Utah, serious issues remain, and they are worth keeping your eye on tonight. Sacramento has been out-rebounded significantly through two games, and are currently ranked 28th in the league in opponent rebounds per game, and 29th in the NBA in rebounds per game. They also rank near the bottom in free throw shooting, three point shooting, and assists. Early numbers are what they are (inaccurate, small sample size, etc.) but I think in this case, those rankings properly reflect some of the issues we’ve seen from this Kings team. All the lineup inconsistencies and injuries certainly don’t help.
This version of the Lakers isn’t particularly scary, especially with the injury issues they are facing tonight. This presents the Kings with a great opportunity to pick up a home win against a playoff competitor in the West.
Prediction: Kings 114, Lakers 110.
