The Los Angeles Lakers seemingly can’t find a way to win games lately, as they fell to the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, 120-114.
At one point in the second quarter, the Lakers, who were without LeBron James, had a double-digit lead, but several mental mistakes by Russell Westbrook just before halftime cut their advantage to just four.
After the game, Anthony Davis seemed to reference Westbrook when he talked about mistakes that cost L.A. the game.
Anthony Davis on the Lakers' overall level of personal accountability: "The thing is, there’s a lot of, like, ‘My bads.’ Which is good. But we can’t have a lot of, ‘My bads.’ … A couple ‘My bads’ down at the end of the first half and they go on a 14-5 run."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 12, 2022
With seconds left in the first half, the Lakers led 60-52, with a chance to add to that lead. But Westbrook threw the ball away, which led to a fast break for the Kings.
Westbrook tried to stop that break by fouling, but it was ruled a take foul, which gave the Kings one free throw plus the ball with 2.0 seconds left.
De’Aaron Fox made the free throw, and then he knocked in a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession as the half ended.
The Lakers gradually continued to lose their momentum in the second half, as their advantage shrunk to one at the end of the third quarter. They managed to take a 114-112 lead with 2:13 left in the fourth quarter, but that would do it as far as L.A. being in position to win.
With the game tied at a critical juncture, Russell Westbrook forgets he’s guarding De’Aaron Fox 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/k4y6JlT1T4
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) November 12, 2022
Westbrook supplied plenty of positive attributes for his team, but he shot just 6-of-17 overall and committed five turnovers. He did, however, have 11 assists and made 4-of-7 shots from 3-point range.
In the end, Fox was the one who shut the door on the Lakers. He finished 13-of-19 from the field and scored 32 points while dishing off 12 assists.
Davis, who was questionable to play due to a non-COVID illness, helped L.A.’s cause with 24 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and two steals. But it needed more from him in the second half.
The Purple and Gold will play the Brooklyn Nets, a team that is equally as troubled, on Sunday before having four full days off to try to rectify what is an increasingly alarming situation.
