Looking Ahead: Kings Prepare for Two Game Series vs. Lakers
The Sacramento Kings found themselves dropping the first of a five-game homestand. Just after reaching the .500 record mark, the Kings lost a high-scoring affair against the Denver Nuggets 130-129 on Monday night. This dropped the Kings to the 12th seed in the Western Conference standings and a game and a half behind the last NBA Play-In Tournament spot. Luckily for the Kings, they have the opportunity to jump into the 10th seed as soon as this Saturday. The Los Angeles Lakers will be visiting the Kings for a two-game series at the Golden One Center that will be played in the span of three days. Currently, in the standings, the Lakers are holding the last Play-In spot. Once the mini-series concludes, it will mark the third time that the two squads have met this season.
The first game happened back in Los Angeles in October, where the Lakers defeated the Kings 131-127. That win for the Lakers marked the first win for Anthony Davis against Domantas Sabonis in his career. Both teams since then have seen drastic lineup changes and have been trending in different directions. The Kings are now starting former Sixth Man of the Year Malik Monk. After a struggling start to the season, Mike Brown made the decision, and it has paid off early. In games Monk has started since the switch, the Kings are 4-3 and have been averaging just over 125 points per game. A much-needed spark to an already dangerous offense. A high-scoring offensive shootout would benefit the Kings, as the Lakers have only been able to reach 120 points or over in only eight games this year.
While the Kings have been trending upward, the Lakers have been struggling. In their last six games, the Lakers have dropped four games. Davis has been having an impressive season and is coming off a season-best 40-point performance against the Memphis Grizzlies. Sabonis and company will have to contain the big man offensively.
This two-game series can possibly hold serious playoff implications for later down the season. With a sweep, the Kings would jump to a 2-1 season series lead that would give them any potential tiebreaker. For that to happen, the Kings are going to need to be efficient on offense and make timely stops at the defensive end. A stat to keep an eye on that favors the Kings is the Lakers allow over 11 offensive rebounds a game. The hustle plays will be important for the Kings, as the Lakers are susceptible to them. The Kings and Lakers play for the final time this season on December 28th at Crypto.com Arena.
