By Following back-to-back wins at home over the Toronto Raptorson Sunday and the Miami Heaton Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers traveled north to visit the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. They looked to build a three-game winning streak with a four-game road trip that starts this weekend on the horizon.
They got off to a sluggish start, especially on the defensive end, but they started to shift into gear and took a 61-54 lead at halftime. A 14-2 run near the end of the third quarter gave the Lakers a double-digit lead and control of the game, and they didn't allow Sacramento back into this game, resulting in a 116-103 win for them.
This wasn't a pretty game for the Purple and Gold. While they limited themselves to 12 turnovers, they shot just 44.9% from the field and 31.6% from 3-point range. But they won this one with defense. They held Sacramento to 38.9% overall shooting and 31.6% from 3-point land, and they forced 18 turnovers, which they turned into 23 points. Los Angeles also held a 21-11 edge in fast-break points.
With a 7-2 record, it will return home to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday before starting that four-game road trip with a matchup versus the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
Jake LaRavia: C
LaRavia hit both of his 3-point attempts in the first quarter, but he committed four fouls and had to leave with 8:02 to go in the second quarter. He wasn't a big factor in this game, as he finished with nine points, two rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes, but his effort, as usual, was there. He notched one steal and one block to help the Lakers' impressive showing on defense.
Matisse Thybulle: C-minus
Thybulle went just 1-of-5 from the field and scored only three points in 23 minutes. But his defensive activity continues to help spark the team. He had two steals and two blocks, and overall, L.A. had 11 steals and 13 blocks.
Walker Kessler: B
Overall, Kessler wasn't as effective during this game as he usually is, and he admitted afterward that he "got his tail kicked" for much of the night. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento's starting center, had his way with Kessler on the boards and grabbed 17 rebounds, and Kessler spent quite a bit of time, especially late in the game, in foul trouble due to his efforts to go after shots near the rim. Kessler fouled out with 1:26 left in the fourth quarter, and he couldn't prevent Los Angeles from getting outrebounded by seven and giving up 21 second-chance points.
But he did finish with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and eight rebounds, and he did a good job of rolling to the basket for easy looks off passes from his teammates. On the other end of the floor, he had four blocks and three steals to anchor the Lakers' strong defense.
Austin Reaves: B
Reaves had a decent effort with 21 points on 7-of-15 overall shooting, 1-of-4 from downtown and 6-of-6 from the free throw line, to go along with four assists and three rebounds. Most impressively, he had no turnovers after having at least five turnovers in three of the previous four games.
Luka Doncic: A-minus
Doncic missed each of his first four shot attempts of the game and went 2-of-7 in the first quarter, but he still managed to score 10 points in the period by drawing fouls. He started to find his game in the second period by scoring 11 straight Lakers points, and he ended the first half with 23 points.
From the second quarter on, Doncic looked like his usual self. He ended up shooting 11-of-23 from the field, 6-of-13 from beyond the arc and 12-of-13 from the free throw line, giving him 40 points. It was the third straight game he reached the 40-point mark and the fifth time overall this season he has gotten to the milestone.
He also dished off seven assists, grabbed nine rebounds and added one steal and one block. Doncic committed six turnovers, but overall, this was another monster game from him, and he made it look very routine.
Ziaire Williams: B
In his second game back from a foot injury, Williams scored 10 points and made three of his seven shots while going 1-of-4 on 3-point attempts, and he also chipped in four rebounds, two steals and one assist in 23 minutes. He's another member of the team who has helped revitalize its defense this season by getting aggressive on the perimeter and making plays on the ball.
Collin Sexton: C-minus
Sexton scored 10 points in 16 minutes, but he shot just 2-of-7. He did somewhat make up for that by making five of his six free throw attempts, and he also had three rebounds and two steals. In the second quarter, Sexton had a beautiful block on a Malik Monk layup in transition.
Quentin Grimes: C
Grimes played 25 minutes in this game, but he scored just six points on 2-of-5 shooting while missing all three of his 3-point tries. He did contribute one rebound, one assist and one steal.
Sandro Mamukelashvili: D-plus
Mamukelashvili missed all four of his shot attempts in this game and scored just two points in 19 minutes, but he did get six rebounds and add one assist and one block.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Lawson Lovering, Bronny James, Jaden Hardy, Cameron Carr: Incomplete
Vanderbilt played seven minutes and had one rebound and one block. Hardy had one assist and one steal, and Lovering blocked one shot. All five men went scoreless.
This article originally appeared on Lakers Wire: Lakers player grades: Another 40-point game from Luka, another win
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lakers-player-grades-another-40-061714752.html
