Lakers vs Kings Preview and Game Thread: A win streak on the horizon?

The Lakers have a chance to string together some wins to end 2024, but it starts with a second straight game against the Kings in Sacramento.

The Lakers can clinch the season series over the Kings on Saturday and start another win streak as they complete their two-game stay in Sacramento.

After two games in 2024 at the end of last season and with the season series this year set to wrap before the end of the calendar year, this will be the fifth time the two teams have played in the last nine months with one more on the docket after Christmas.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers at Sacramento Kings

When: 3 p.m. PT, Dec 21

Where: Golden 1 Center

Watch: Spectrum SportsNet

After a demoralizing end to the road trip earlier in the month, the Lakers have bounced back in a big way. Thursday was a microcosm of their recent run of games as a suffocating defense led them to a victory.

Over the last four games, the Lakers lead the league in defensive rating. It’s a remarkably small sample size, but it’s also something few likely would have thought would even be possible even as recently as two weeks ago.

On Thursday, the Lakers also flipped the script by dominating the offensive glass. Anthony Davis’ seven offensive rebounds were three more than the Kings had as a team. And Sacramento isn’t a particularly great rebounding team outside of Domantas Sabonis.

Overall, they rank middle of the road in rebounding. If AD can win his battle with Sabonis, who had 12 rebounds but just one offensive, then it could be an area where they find success again on Saturday.

The encouraging thing about Thursday’s win is that the areas in which they found success are repeatable. If they can even have an average offensive night paired with it, they have a chance of coming back to SoCal with a big sweep.

If they were to do that, they’d also clinch the season series very early on, which could play a factor come playoff seeding time. Given how tight the Western Conference is this year, any season series the Lakers can win is big.

Notes and Updates

• Rui Hachimura is listed as probable on the injury report with a left tibial contusion. He had not been previously listed.
• Anthony Davis (left elbow contusion) and LeBron James (left foot injury management) are both considered questionable. They will likely be fixtures on the report with these designations for the rest of the season.
• Jaxson Hayes (right ankle sprain), Jalen Hood-Schifino (left hamstring strain), Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot surgery recovery) and Christian Wood (left knee surgery recovery) are all out. Maxwell Lewis and Bronny James are both with the South Bay Lakers.
• We will be live on Playback for this game, so be sure to join us!

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.