This was a mess from the start for the Lakers and only got messier as they lacked energy against the Sacramento Kings in their second game in two nights.
The Lakers were down by 26 points early in the fourth quarter, and this was with starters LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell and Cam Reddish on the floor with sixth man Austin Reaves.
So, that feel-good, three-game winning streak the Lakers had is no more after a 125-110 defeat Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers (6-6) made a late push with the group on the court, pulling to within nine with 3:03 left on a Reddish three-pointer.
But the Lakers turned the ball over on two consecutive trips down the court, part of their 23 miscues, and that was that.
Read more: Lakers put together ‘a great shooting night’ from three-point range vs. Grizzlies
James had a triple-double with 28 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds and Russell also had 28 points, but Davis had a subpar game with nine points on three-for-nine shooting and nine rebounds.
One game after tying a team record with 22 three-pointers while shooting them at an amazing 62.9% clip, the Lakers made a respectable 11 of 29 (37.9%).
But the disturbing trend of the Lakers falling behind in the first quarter surfaced again, their defense nowhere to be found and their offense just adequate.
Trailing by 20 early meant there was no coming back for the Lakers, the Kings shooting 53.6% from the field in the opening quarter and 50% from three-point range. The Kings shot 50% overall for the game.
In 12 games, the Lakers have trailed after the first quarter eight times.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.