The Los Angeles Lakers continue to be plagued with inconsistency. After winning against the Thunder in convincing fashion, they lost 120-130 to the Sacramento Kings yesterday at home. In the loss, LeBron James led the way with 31 points, 13 assists, and 5 rebounds while Rui Hachimura had an incredible 29-point outing. Meanwhile, Skip Bayless’ Undisputed co-host Keyshawn Johnson has put the blame on Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell for his favorite squad falling short at Crypto.com Arena.
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Johnson pointed out how Anthony Davis “allowed” Domantas Sabonis to capture 20 rebounds while he had 11 in comparison. Because of Sabonis’ 16 defensive rebounds, Davis and his Lakers couldn’t get their hands on many second-chance opportunities. Johnson went into how the Lakers’ ceiling is dependent upon AD’s performances. Then he pointed to LeBron James’ stats and claimed that he had done his job and it was upon the rest of the squad to step up. ClutchPoints‘ official X handle posted a clip that captured Keyshawn Johnson’s response to the Lakers’ 10-point loss, during the Undisputed show.
“LeBron gonna be LeBron. This ain’t about LeBron. LeBron did his work. He had 13 assists, he scored 30+ points. He played well, he did his job but then everybody gotta chip in,” the 51-year-old told Skip Bayless.
Johnson also criticized D’Angelo Russell’s performance, who shot 3-of-10 for 10 points and dished just 3 assists. He called Russell’s rhythm “up and down” and expected more consistency from the lefty guard. For Johnson, since Russell isn’t exactly a lockdown defender, he has to shoot more efficiently and pass the ball well. At the same time, the FS1 analyst also noticed that the Lakers have now lost seven out of their last eight games against the Sacramento Kings.
Sacramento Kings have been eviscerating the Lakers
The Lakers last won against the Kings during the 2022-23 season, when they had a narrow 136-134 win in January of 2023. Apart from that, they have lost four straight to the rising ball club and have a 0-3 record against them for the current season. They have now lost the third straight Regular Season series against the Kings.
During the 2023-24 season, the Lakers’ defense has struggled against the deadly combo of Fox and Sabonis. In their latest fixture, they allowed De’Aaron Fox to tie his career-high of 44 points and conceded more than 124 points against the Fox-led club for the third straight game. Their defensive work alongside some off-shooting nights paved the way for yet another dominant Kings win.
The Lakers have now lost two of their last three games and four of their last eight games after a 6-1 stretch. Their current stretch sums up their season. As soon as they get going, they face a defensive blunder which derails their season. That’s why they are currently at the tenth spot in the Western Conference.
