The Los Angeles Lakers entered Sunday’s game against the Sacramento Kings knowing that they wouldn’t have LeBron James or backup center Jaxson Hayes available. James is out until at least mid-November with sciatica, while Hayes is dealing with a knee ailment.
They got more bad news before the opening tip when Luka Doncic was ruled out due to a finger sprain and leg contusion. He will reportedly be re-evaluated in about a week.
But instead of mailing it in, the Lakers came out intense and focused early on.
They played mostly excellent defense and shot 60% in the first quarter while moving the basketball around to the tune of nine assists. They took a 36-27 lead at the end of the period, and despite going into an offensive drought in the second quarter, they managed to be tied at 62 going into halftime.
The second half went back and forth, but down the stretch, Los Angeles locked things down defensively and was able to pull away for a 127-120 win that gave it a 2-1 record.
The team held the Kings to 44.6% field-goal shooting, and offensively, it lived at the free throw line, where it converted 41 of 46 attempts. It was a plus-seven on the boards, and while one player dominated the game, it also got plenty of help in multiple areas from other key players.
Gabe Vincent: D
For the third time in as many games, Vincent started in the backcourt. He wasn’t able to contribute much, however. He missed all four of his shot attempts and ended up with just three points, one rebound, one assist and one steal in 19 minutes.
He left the game early in the third quarter due to an ankle ailment and didn’t return.
Marcus Smart: B-minus
Smart made a solid contribution with a fairly typical Smart-type game. He made three of eight shot attempts and missed all three of his 3-point attempts, and he finished with 11 points, five assists and three rebounds. The stat sheet doesn’t show it, but he hustled pretty well on defense, as he usually does.
With James and Doncic out, Smart moved into the starting lineup for this game and played a total of 31 minutes.
Rui Hachimura: B-plus
For the second game in a row, Hachimura definitely pulled his weight offensively. That is exactly what he needs to do with L.A. short-handed right now, and on Sunday, he hit seven of his 10 shot attempts and finished with 18 points, plus three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 40 minutes.
Deandre Ayton: A
Ayton also did his job very well against Sacramento. The Lakers utilized him plenty on offense, allowing him to score 22 points on 10-of-17 field-goal shooting. He also grabbed 15 rebounds, and although he blocked only one shot, his rim protection was rock-solid in this game.
This is the type of play the team needs from him — not necessarily the number of points he got, but the level of energy, aggression and focus that he had.
Austin Reaves: A-plus
Reaves took on the burden of carrying the Lakers’ offense with both Doncic and James out. He scored 21 points in the first half on just 10 field-goal attempts, and he never let up.
He had 36 points through three quarters, and in the fourth quarter, he added 14 more points to help his team pull away. That gave him 50 points, which was a new career high for him, surpassing his old mark of 45, which he set midway through last season.
Reaves was about as efficient offensively as he could’ve been. He went 12-of-22 from the field and 6-of-10 from 3-point range, but what was perhaps most impressive about his performance was how he consistently drew fouls. He attempted a whopping 22 free throws and made all but one of them, allowing the Lakers to establish a huge advantage in that category.
But this wasn’t exactly a one-sided performance for the undrafted guard. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and dished off nine assists while adding two steals in 39 minutes.
Jarred Vanderbilt: B/B-plus
Vanderbilt brought hustle and energy to the Lakers, as he often does. In 27 minutes, he had nine points on 3-of-5 shooting, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. He went after loose balls consistently and played with plenty of physicality, helping them set the right tone.
Jake LaRavia: B-minus
For the game, LaRavia shot just 3-of-10 from the field. But he was 3-of-5 from downtown, and he scored six of his 11 points in quick succession late in the fourth quarter as L.A. started to take control.
He also had six rebounds, five assists and one steal.
Dalton Knecht: D
Knecht had an emphatic block of a Russell Westbrook layup attempt, which led to him scoring on the ensuing fast break. But other than that, he was ineffective. He got 13 minutes of playing time, but he was unable to get into a rhythm, as he made one of his three shot attempts and missed both of his 3-point tries.
Chris Mañon: Incomplete
The undrafted rookie guard got three minutes of playing time in the wake of L.A.’s injuries. He attempted one shot, a 3-pointer, which he missed, but he did contribute one rebound and one block.
