Lakers drop third straight after hot shooting night by Kings

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When the shots are falling, rankings mean nothing, and for the Kings, it meant everything.

The Lakers' woes from 3-point range and on defense continued on the first night of a back-to-back, losing to the Kings 124-112 at the Golden 1 Center on Monday for their third straight loss despite a 42-point performance from Luka Dončić.

Both teams were neck and neck entering the game in ranking from 3-point range, shooting the same, 34.2%, on the season from deep, but one team had the shot going, while the other couldn’t find one at your local college bar after finals.

"Literally, we can't make a shot. They're [Kings] right there with us as being one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league," coach JJ Redick said. "This has been the theme."

The Kings shot a season-high 65.4% on 17 made 3s—the first time all season Sacramento shot over 50% from deep. The Lakers, on the other hand, continued their 3-point dry spell for the third time, shooting under 30% in the last five games. 

The Lakers finished the night making just eight of 36 attempts from 3-point range at 22%, L.A.'s third-worst shooting performance of the season.

L.A.'s shooting night from inside the perimeter tells you what their true potential can be when their 3-pointers can fall, shooting 67% on 33 for 49 from two-point shots.

Dončić and LeBron James combined for more than half of the Lakers' scoring at 64 points, as James finished with 22 points. He had one of his best starts to date, scoring six of L.A.'s first eight points, which pushed the Lakers to a 19-10 lead to start.

That nine-point advantage, which was the Lakers' biggest of the game, quickly vanished after the Kings outscored the Lakers 22-9 the rest of the first quarter.

Every shot by the Lakers was answered right back by a jolt spark from Sacramento and their home crowd, reaching a 14-point lead in the second quarter. Dončić's 26 points at halftime shrank the Lakers' deficit to seven.

The second half was the same story; the Kings jumped out to a 12-3 run and the Lakers had to play catch-up. L.A. native DeMar DeRozan and former Lakers Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk were the main culprits, combining for 80 points. DeRozan led the Kings with 32 points on 14-of-19 shooting—all buckets from inside the perimeter.

The Kings would not give, even when the Lakers got within eight with just three minutes left. A Monk three would be the final dagger and end the night, dropping the Lakers' record to 23-14 and 13-7 on the road.

This is the second time this season the Lakers have gone on a three-game skid. L.A. will look to avoid four straight losses for the first time on Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks in the second night of a back-to-back.