Lakers take 'giant step back' in blowout loss to Kings
SACRAMENTO — This wasn’t just a loss for the Los Angeles Lakers at Sleep Train Arena on Friday night, this 132-114 defeat against the Sacramento Kings that meant they’ll have to wait until Sunday (against the Dallas Mavericks) to find that elusive first win.
It was a blown job interview.
Remember the summertime story line about DeMarcus Cousins and the Lakers, the one about how he wanted out of Sacramento and as far away from new coach George Karl as possible, and how Kobe Bryant & Co. were ready and very willing to grant his request? While that chatter has been quiet for some time now, the unspoken truth here is that it could be rekindled at any time with the right kind of fuel.
Like, say, a horrific start to the Kings’ season that might prompt the big man to voice his displeasure in the kind of way that often sparks star player trade talks. In one sense, this was merely Game 2 out of 82 for both teams.
Yet for the Lakers, it was their first chance to contribute to their own embattled cause, to not only send an early message to Cousins that the Kings’ new collection of talent may not be good enough to push for a playoff spot but that this young Lakers’ core is worth watching and — somewhere down the line — possibly joining.
So much for that.
They gave up 74 first-half points, trailed by as many as 31 and gave up so many points in the paint (80) that everyone from Lakers coach Byron Scott on down was wondering if that had ever been done before (coincidentally, Karl's Denver Nuggets have the highest mark — 92 against the Kings on Jan. 25, 2012 — since the statistic was first recorded 20 years ago). And now, after blowing a 15-point, third-quarter lead to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, it’s quite clear that Phase One of their stated mission is off to a tough start.
All offseason long, Lakers officials like general manager Mitch Kupchak and vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss talked openly about the postseason being an attainable goal. In their best-case scenario, Bryant would return from last season's shoulder injury and mesh seamlessly with the Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle trio that represents the best of the Lakers’ uncertain future.
In turn, the league at large (including Cousins) would take notice of the forward progress in Laker Land leading up to the latest, crucial summer of free agency when they’ll be among the many teams chasing the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant. But as the Timberwolves and Kings made so abundantly clear at the start here, the Western Conference that was already loaded last season could be even more so this time around.
If anything, the Kings — who had six players score at least 12 points, destroyed the Lakers on the boards (56 to 37), finished with 33 fastbreak points and enjoyed a welcome breakout game from new point guard Rajon Rondo (21 points, eight assists) — looked like the playoff contenders in this one.
"Tonight we took a giant step back, and I hope our guys realize that," Scott said afterward.
And considering the Lakers won’t get their next meeting with Cousins until Jan. 7 — Game 37 of their crucial campaign — there was no silver lining to be found here for the purple and gold.
Follow Sam Amick on Twitter @sam_amick.