Kings Fall Apart Late In Loss To Lakers
Dec 31, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Jan 4, 2019, 11:38 am
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
by Franklin Cartoscelli – Sports 1140 KHTK
Coming off of their most exciting finish in recent memory, the Sacramento Kings couldn’t end 2018 with another win over the Lakers.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 26 points and Brandon Ingram scored 21 points en route to a 121-114 Lakers win over the Kings at STAPLES Center on Sunday evening. The Lakers got their revenge after suffering a fourth quarter collapse of their own on Thursday night, with Bogdan Bogdanovic sealing the deal with a buzzer-beater three for the win.
On Sunday, the Kings held a 110-103 lead with 4:30 remaining before the Lakers went on a 17-4 run to end the game.
A 🦊 always stays ready… pic.twitter.com/iGnQiD8qHb
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) December 31, 2018
Sacramento was 12-0 when taking a lead into the fourth quarter before Sunday’s loss, and also saw their road record fall to 9-10 on the season.
De’Aaron Fox led the way for the Kings with 26 points on 12-of-19 shooting to go along with 7 assists. Fox, who has been nursing an injured right shoulder since December 21 when he tweaked it against the Grizzlies, was seen in severe discomfort heading into the half on Sunday night. Fox returned for the second half and was Sacramento’s leading scorer down the stretch as he appeared unbothered by the shoulder in the second half.
After picking up his fourth foul with over eight minutes remaining in the third quarter, Fox was forced to sit until the fourth quarter, missing out on an important chunk of action. In response, Fox played the entirety of the fourth quarter, and did not pick up another foul.
Willie Cauley-Stein had a double-double on Sunday night, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to go along with 3 blocks.
Bogdan Bogdanovic continued his scoring barrage as he poured in 21 points on 50% shooting from the field. Bogdanovic has scored 20 or more points in three of the last five games. Buddy Hield shook off a couple of rough games to score 21 points of his own.
Josh Hart scored 22 points for the Lakers, with 17 of those points coming in the first half.
Coming Up
Sacramento will look to shake off the loss as they head into 2019 with high hopes.
Their first assignment will be Damian Lillard and the 21-16 Portland Trailblazers on Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center.
Catch all the action right here on Sports 1140 KHTK, starting with pregame coverage at 5:30pm.
