Without LeBron James who reportedly could miss ‘several’ games due to a groin strain, head coach Luke Walton and the Los Angeles Lakers relied on the young core against the Sacramento Kings.
For 3.5 quarters, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball embraced the challenge of playing without James as the Lakers led by as many as 15 points. Unfortunately, turnovers down the stretch and Ingram’s missed free throw led to Bogdan Bogdanovic’s game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Despite Ball’s near triple-double and 55 combined points from Ingram and Kuzma, the Lakers are now 20-15 and fifth place in the Western Conference.