What was written as foul trouble cost the Kings in a loss to the Lakers first appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – De’Aaron Fox had 26 points, five assists and three steals but was forced to the bench due to foul trouble for a long stretch in the second half, and the Kings lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 113-100 on Thursday in Golden 1 Middle.
Domantas Sabonis chipped in with 18 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists on a night when Lakers star LeBron James become an NBA career leader for regular-time minutes.
Malik Monk continued to shine in his starting role with 17 points. Keegan Murrary added 10 points and seven rebounds while DeMar DeRozan scored 10 points.
It was the Kings’ first loss at home to the Lakers in nearly two years that sent Sacramento (13-15) back to .500.
Here are the takeaways from Thursday’s game:
Monk Offers Live in Second
The Kings didn’t have much flow to their offense and trailed by 14 until Monk left in the second quarter.
The runner-up for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award last season, Monk connected on 5 of 7 attempts from the floor with a pair of clean 3-pointers that helped Sacramento get within 62-58 by halftime. He finished the game shooting 7 of 15 but was just 3-for-10 from behind the arc.
Hold It Down In Key
Sacramento replied Mike Brown’s call for better interior defense, limiting Los Angeles to 44 points in the paint. That’s still too much for Brown’s liking, but it’s infinitely better than the 76 points the Nuggets poured in on Monday.
Fox Foul Trouble
The Kings got things rolling in the third quarter before Fox picked up his fifth foul and then spent the last 6:47 minutes of the quarter on the bench. Without its starting point guard, Sacramento’s offense went cold and the Lakers pulled away to take a six-point lead into the fourth quarter.
The Kings played a semi to close but having to sit Fox at a key moment in the game was important.
