NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from the Sacramento Kings' buzzer-beater win over the LeBron-less Lakers

LeBron James was held out for this game, owing to the groin strain he suffered against the Warriors, ending his consecutive games played streak at 156. Even with no King at the helm against the Sacramento Kings, LA put up a dominant show of quality fast-paced basketball, only to let loose in the final moments for a heartbreaking 117-116 buzzer-beater loss.

Coming into this one, the Kings had just been beaten by the Clippers - the team in line to face the Lakers next - while LA's most recent romp of the Warriors on Christmas day was still fresh in our memories. The result means that Sacramento has now won six out of their last ten games, improving to a season-best 19-16(0.543) on the West leaderboard. They currently hold the eighth spot.

The Lakers were stuck in the upper-echelons of the West's logjammed standings but the loss has now dragged them down to the fifth position, with a 20-15(0.571) win-loss record. They have now lost four out of their last six games.

Let's draw out some key takeaways from this thrilling buzzer-beater victory by the Kings over the Lakers.

#1 The Lakers held their ground for three-and-a-half quarters, but then things started to slip

The Lakers shot 16-of-23 from the free-throw line.

Los Angeles had an 11-point cushion at the start of the fourth quarter, and led 104-89 with just 6:44 remaining in the game, before Sacramento surged to take it all.

They got to within two points of the Lakers in the final 4.3 seconds of the game. The ball was inbounded to Bogdanovic and in Kuzma's words, he "made a hell of a shot over a 7-footer at the buzzer" to edge past for a one-point lead and victory.

BOGDAN BOGDANOVIC WINS IT FOR SACRAMENTO! 👌🚨Presented by @TISSOT pic.twitter.com/J4vXbEBVxx
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 28, 2018

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Bogdanovic dropped 12 of his 23 points in the final quarter as the Kings outscored the visitors 33-21 to rally from 15 points down for a win.

Luke Walton pinned the loss on the team's failures in rebounding and defense late in the game, clearly not addressing LeBron's absence down the stretch,

"Those type of things are what cost us the game, not not having him at the end or that shot that Bogdanovic hit," Walton said.

#2 Six of the Kings players scored in double digits, with Bogdanovic leading the pack

Buddy Hield had an off night, shooting 2-of-8 from the field.

As the No. 2 draft pick Marvin Bagley III remained sidelined with a left knee bone bruise, Bogdanovic scored a team-high 23 points, none more important than the three he netted at the buzzer.

Rookie De'Aaron Fox finished with an impressive 15 points, 9 rebounds and 12 assists night of his own while Shumpert and Bjelica both contributed 18 each.

Willie Cauley-Stein also chipped in 19 points and eight rebounds as Iman Shumpert hit six threes to match his career-high. Despite Buddy Hield scoring just 6 points in 29 minutes of playtime, rest of the crew stepped up to the moment in the dying minutes of the game.

They kept their cool and were unfazed by the Lakers lead going into the final quarter, showing maturity and nerves of steel in making plays when it mattered the most.

Coach Joerger knows how much his team had to fight through to pull out this thriller from the bag,

"We keep things interesting," Kings coach Dave Joerger said. "We scrambled around and got loose balls and were able to get out in transition. Heck of a win."

#3 The LeBron-less Lakers' young core looked solid for the most part of the game

Kyle Kuzma took advantage of the opportunity and led from the front. The Lakers' big posted 23 of his 34 points in the first half, adding 9 rebounds and four assists as well.

Lonzo Ball was inactive in the final moments after checking out due to cramping, but before that, he had already posted a near-triple-double performance with 20 points, 9 rebounds and a season-high 12 assists. He shot an uncharacteristically good 8-13 from the field and is expected to be available tomorrow against the Clippers.

Brandon Ingram missed one of his two clutch free-throws at the end, restricting the Lakers to an eventually surmountable 2-point lead, but his overall total of 22 points cannot be overlooked. Josh Hart drained a couple of crunch threes down the stretch and finished with 10 points next to his name.

With veterans in Rondo(sprained right ring finger) and JaVale McGee (respiratory infection) not available for the night, the young guns showed they were not afraid of the spotlight.