No Sabonis, No Problem: Kings beat Lakers to secure fifth-straight win

Jan 18, 2023, 10:41 PM | Updated: 11:13 pm

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings takes a shot against ...

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

How about those third-seed Sacramento Kings?

That’s right–the Kings have jumped into the third spot in the Western Conference standings after knocking off the rival Los Angeles Lakers by a final of 116-111 on Wednesday night at crypto.com Arena.

Sacramento (25-18) extended its winning streak to five games, marking the second time that the Kings have held a winning streak of five or more this season. The last time that happened in franchise history? 2004-05.

Even without Domantas Sabonis (non-COVID illness), the Kings had enough in the tank to take the Lakers down and end the brief road trip in style.

"Light the Beam" chants in LA 🙌 pic.twitter.com/F5jqWgT7oK

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 19, 2023

Things got off to an ugly start for the Kings’ defense as they allowed Los Angeles to score a season-high for points in a single quarter (39) en route to putting Sacramento in a double-digit hole following the first period.

A red-hot De’Aaron Fox (20 first-half points) helped the Kings get back into the swing of things as Sacramento went on to outscore the Lakers 33-21 during the second period behind a 59 percent shooting performance from the offense. Even though LeBron James racked up 18 points of his own during the first half, the Kings entered the break with a 61-60 advantage.

Sacramento’s momentum from the second quarter continued into the second half as they outscored the Lakers 29-22 during the third to take a 90-82 lead into the fourth. After outscoring Los Angeles 62-43 during the second and third quarters, the Kings were in the driver’s seat with 12 minutes to go.

If you have watched Kings games this season, you already knew that the fourth quarter of this game would come down to the final possessions.

Los Angeles erased the eight-point deficit, but Sacramento regained control to take a 108-103 lead with 1:48 remaining.

Of course, James tied things up at 108-108 with one minute to go, but Harrison Barnes would get the last laugh on Wednesday as the forward finished an and-one lay-in to give the Kings a three-point lead–one that they would not let slip away during the final seconds.

HB COMES UP CLUTCH pic.twitter.com/t7zqCn0lGO

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 19, 2023

Barnes’ and-one was notable because the three points sent the veteran forward over the 20-point mark. Sacramento holds a 10-3 record this season when Barnes scores 20 points or more. Once that basket fell through, even with time still on the clock, it felt like you could chalk up another tally in the win column for the Kings.

De’Aaron Fox put on another ‘Fourth Quarter Fox’ act by scoring nine of his 31 points during the final period, but the true hero of Wednesday night’s win was Richaun Holmes.

With Sabonis out of action, Sacramento needed production out of the starting center spot. Holmes, who has spent a large portion of this season out of the rotation, stepped up in a big way as the big man scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while shooting a perfect seven-of-seven from the field.

The Kings needed a 2019-through-2021 season Richaun Holmes-esque performance against the Lakers, and that’s precisely what they got.

Holmes was awarded with his first Defensive Player of the Game chain following the win after posting a defensive rating of 100.0 during the final 12 minutes of play. After everything the 28-year-old has gone through over the past year, it was a well-deserved award for the fan-favorite big.

Richaun reflects on his big night filling in for Domas 👏 pic.twitter.com/FyHwAM5yJm

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 19, 2023

Sacramento’s win over the Lakers was noteworthy for a few reasons.

First and foremost, the Kings needed to prove that they could survive games without Sabonis. Although the Lakers were without Anthony Davis (foot), they avenged January 7th’s loss to Los Angeles by claiming the season series (3-1) on Wednesday night.

The win also proved that Sacramento isn’t a slouch on the road, as they improved to 11-9 away from Golden 1 Center this season–the best road record in the West.

As more games pass, this run becomes more believable for the up-and-coming Sacramento Kings.

Richaun Steps Up

Playing without Domantas Sabonis is a tall task, but Richaun Holmes answered the bell on Wednesday night.

In his first start of the season, Holmes posted a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) while shooting a perfect seven-for-seven from the field. The Kings needed production from the center spot, and Holmes delivered in a big way.

Holmes with the TOUGH finish in traffic pic.twitter.com/rP08PzjJCC

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 19, 2023

Fox Stays Hot

The push for an All-Star appearance continues for De’Aaron Fox

Fox finished Wednesday’s game with 31 points (13-of-23 shooting) and six assists over 39 minutes, marking the guard’s 11th game this season with 30 points or more.

The legend of ‘Fourth Quarter Fox’ continued to grow during the win as Fox scored 9 points on three-of-seven shooting from the field during the fourth quarter.

Notes

Keegan Murray posted the first double-double of his NBA career on Wednesday night (10 points, 10 rebounds)
Kevin Huerter handed out a season-high 8 assists during the win.
After allowing the Lakers to score a season-high 70 points in the paint during January 7th’s meeting between the two teams at Golden 1 Center, the Kings held the Lakers to 50 points in the paint on Wednesday night.
All five of Sacramento’s starters finished in double-figures on Wednesday: Fox (31), Huerter (18), Murray (10), Barnes (20), and Holmes (16).
Los Angeles’ bench dominated Sacramento’s (59-21), but the Kings made up ground by racking up 95 points from their starters.
The Kings signed guard PJ Dozier to another 10-day contract following Wednesday’s game.

Injury Updates

Domantas Sabonis, Alex Len, and Matthew Dellavedova all missed Wednesday’s game due to a non-COVID illness.

Head coach Mike Brown said pregame that all three players are dealing with a “stomach bug” and that he didn’t anticipate any of the three would be sidelined long.

Sacramento Kings Postgame Show

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Next Game

The King will return home to Golden 1 Center for a four-game home stand that will begin on Friday night against the potential All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the surging Oklahoma City Thunder.

Be sure to get all of your Kings vs. Thunder coverage on Sactown Sports 1140 starting at 5:30 pm PST on Game Night before action tips off at 7:00 pm PST from downtown Sacramento.