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The LA Lakers and Sacramento Kings crossed swords in a regular-season game at the Golden 1 Center on Sunday. The Lakers took to the court without their talisman, Luka Doncic, who was ruled out for at least a week with a couple of injuries. Meanwhile, both teams entered the contest on the back of confidence-boosting wins in their previous outing.
The Lakers were compelled to alter their starting lineup following Doncic’s injury. Marcus Smart joined Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Deandre Ayton in the starting 5. The Kings' starting lineup features Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder.
The Lakers got off to a strong start by exploiting the Kings' biggest defensive weakness. Sacramento’s lack of rim protection allowed the Lakers to dominate inside, scoring eight points in the paint to build an early 16-10 lead.
The Lakers' offense was humming despite both Doncic and LeBron James on the sidelines. The Purple and Gold put up 36 points in the first quarter to secure a nine-point lead heading into the second period. Rui Hachimura led the way with 10 points, while Ayton scored seven points and played solid defense in the paint.
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Edited by Atishay Jain
English (US)