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In a Western Conference match the 8th seed Los Angeles Lakers went up against the 9th seed Sacramento Kings at Staples Center to avenge their defeat from their previous encounter.
And they avenged it in an almost similar fashion as they lost last time, as they came back from behind and won this close contest with a final scoreline of 121-114.
The Lakers were again missing their star player LeBron James due to a groin injury but this time they made sure that they don't leave the job undone. They came in prepared and executed their plan. Although all of it was not successful, at the end they got a win, and that's all that matters.
After this game, the Lakers have gone up to the 6th spot with a record of 21-16, while the Kings remain at the 9th spot with a record of 19-17.
With all that in mind, here are the top takeaways from the game.
#3 Free throw problems for the Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are a historically bad free throw shooting team, and they have no idea what they have to do whenever they stand on the free throw line to get those charity points.
Today also they showed their abysmal free throw shooting which almost cost them the match as they shot only 12 of 20 from the line. If this is the sign of things to come, then they may not have a chance at beating good teams come playoffs.
They're ranked 30th in free throw shooting this year, and even some of their young players are struggling mightily from the line. Lonzo Ball shoots 54%ft, while Ingram shoots 62.6% of his fts. This needs to change if the Lakers want to give the Warriors a fight for their title.
#2 Unselfish display of basketball from both teams
This game was an amazing thriller to watch as a basketball fan. Their previous encounter was much the same. This credit goes to their style of play and the way they push the ball.
Both the teams rely heavily on quick ball movements and making plays for all the teammates. This makes sure that they make quality shots and find open man whenever possible. And due to this ability of these two teams, they collected a total of 54 assists today. 30 for the Lakers and 24 for the Kings.
This has been their style of play throughout the season as the Kings are ranked 7th in assists per game, while the Lakers are ranked 13th for the same. They preach one of the most exciting brands of basketball and both their future seems very bright.
#1 The Lakers' and Kings' young core
This match-up has been all about which team has a better young core and who is going to be a star for both the teams going forward. While the Lakers have a lot of talents in Ingram, Ball, Kuzma and Hart. The Kings are not far behind as they have one of the most improved players of the league in De'Aaron Fox, then they have Buddy Hield and this year's number 2 pick Marvin Bagley III.
In todays' game, the Lakers young core were in full form as they carried their team to a comeback win and the King's in-form duo of Buddy Hield and De'Aaron Fox. This showed their determination and grit to win. In the future, this will greatly help improve their game, as its moments like these that show what a player is made of.
In their next game, the Lakers will host the Oklahoma City Thunder, whereas the Sacramento Kings will host the Trail Blazers.
