Los Angeles Lakers (36-24) beat Sacramento Kings (14-48) 128-104 at home on Sunday, March 1. The final margin was 24 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Lakers struck first, taking the opening quarter 36-18 and a 18-point lead after one. The Kings cut into the deficit with a 31-28 second quarter, though the Lakers still led by 15 at halftime.
The Lakers won the third 32-27 to create some separation, taking a 20-point lead into the fourth. The Lakers took the fourth 32-28; the Lakers finished the job for a 128-104 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Lakers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 8.7% of possessions compared with 19.9% for the Kings. The Lakers got more from their shots, finishing at 59.6% effective field-goal shooting compared with 50% for the Kings. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Kings did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 36.4% against 20%. The Lakers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 102 possessions per team, the Lakers produced 125.3 points per 100 possessions to 101.8 for the Kings.
Who stood out
Luka Doncic was the game's biggest individual force for LAL: 28 pts, 5 reb, 9 ast on 10-16 shooting. His Game Score of 27.7 led everyone. His team was +18 with him on the floor.
Nique Clifford led the Kings with 26 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast on 11-18 shooting, good for a 20.6 Game Score.
Maxime Raynaud (16 pts, 13 reb, 1 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Lakers about a 86% chance.
Across the last 7 meetings in our records, Los Angeles Lakers lead 6-1.
The Lakers are now 36-24, and the Kings are 14-48. The Lakers last five before this game: W-L-L-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.