With back-to-back games in Sacramento, the Lakers began this road trip off right with an impressive 113-100 win over the Kings on Thursday.
Austin Reaves led the team in scoring with 25 points, D’Angelo Russell was the bench mob flamethrower with 16 points and Anthony Davis was a sensation on both ends of the floor.
With so many good performances all around, it’s no surprise that Lakers coach JJ Redick said this was one of his favorite victories of the season.
So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
Rui Hachimura
37 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3-9 FG, 1-4 3PT, 3-4 FT, +21
This was a Goldilocks game for Hachimura. It was not too good or too bad, but it was just what the Lakers needed. He rebounded well, made his free throws and defended respectably.
Ideally, he would’ve shot better from 3-point range and been closer to 50% from the field, but given the good vibes, it was not a frustrating Rui game.
Grade: B
LeBron James
34 minutes, 19 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 8-21 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, +13
An 8-21 shooting night from LeBron is not efficient, but my goodness, he was fun to watch against the Kings. He had an impressive chase-down block on Keon Ellis, found his way to the basket when he needed to and led the team with seven assists.
Bron has looked so much better since returning from his foot injury. It’s nice to see him with a pep in his step, and the Lakers are beginning to stack wins.
Grade: B-
Anthony Davis
35 minutes, 21 points, 19 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 6 blocks, 7-20 FG, 0-1 3PT, 7-9 FT, +19
How many more ways can we explain just how out of this world the play of AD has been on the 2024-25 Lakers?
Against the Kings, besides the ridiculous 21-point, 19-rebound line, what stood out was how many of the boards came from cleaning up the offensive glass. Davis had seven offensive rebounds, more than the Kings team.
His rim protection was elite as he registered six blocks, and while Domantas Sabonis still scored 18 points, he shut him down in the fourth when it mattered most.
Take a bow, AD. This was a world-class performance.
Grade: A+
Max Christie
28 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1-3 FG, 1-3 3PT, 5-6 FT, +17
This is Christie’s fourth straight start and he was respectable once again. His defense was good, minus a couple of fouls he had jumping at some pump fakes and he converted on his free throws and rebounded well.
I still think Christie’s scoring is a bit too low to be a starter on a team that sometimes struggles offensively. However, they are winning games, so he should continue starting for Los Angeles.
Grade: B-
Austin Reaves
35 minutes, 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 7-14 FG, 3-7 3PT, 8-9 FT, +9
This may have been the best win for the Lakers this season, but it was undeniably Reaves’ best performance of the year.
He scored 25 points and did it from the 3-point range, the charity stripe and in the paint. Asking more from Reaves would be unrealistic and greedy, but for now, I think he should keep rocking the headband and see if it results in more games like this from him.
Grade: A+
D’Angelo Russell
23 minutes, 16 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal, 1 block, 7-15 FG, 2-6 3PT, +1
First, fans love Russell, then they hate him and now they love him again. Coming off the bench for this team, D’Lo has boosted offensive energy for this Lakers squad. His 16 points tonight helped the team stay afloat during rough, challenging stretches, especially in the second and third quarters.
Russell had only one assist, but he had some gorgeous passes that resulted in hockey assists or attempts at the basket that turned into fouls.
His defensive ability has always been a weakness in Russell’s game, but in Sacramento, he was deflecting passes, closing out well on shooters and even tied up Sabonis for a jump ball in the fourth. Overall, it was a great game from Russell.
Grade: A
Gabe Vincent
22 minutes, 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-5 FG, 4-5 3PT, +4
We’ve been rough on Vincent due to his poor play, but he brought exactly what the Lakers needed tonight. Vincent shot only 3-pointers and was nearly perfect, going 4-5 from deep.
He contributed to the bench scoring, which has been a struggle for the Lakers. While it’s not realistic to expect this kind of game from him regularly, it’s nice to see Miami Heat Vicent make an appearance for the purple and gold.
Grade: A+
Dalton Knecht
10 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1-4 FG, 0-2 3PT, -4
Almost every Laker had a good game, but unfortunately, Knecht doesn’t fall into that category. He can’t seem to buy a bucket and tonight was another game where he struggled. Maybe it’s a rookie wall or just an awful cold streak, but it’d be nice if Knecht could find his rhythm again and begin making an impact.
Grade: D-
Cam Reddish
11 minutes, 0 points, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3PT, -9
It’s almost impressive how bad Reddish was for the Lakers against the Kings. He was just out there getting some cardio and didn’t play well defensively, either. While Reddish is responsible for his own play, Redick is to blame for him even being out there that long. He had no business playing in the fourth quarter with the result still in question.
Grade: F
Christian Koloko
There is no grade for Koloko since he played just four minutes. His brief shift was underwhelming anyway, with one foul and two missed shots.
JJ Redick
The Lakers played well and Redick deserves a ton of credit for that. The change to the starting lineup has worked, the defensive effort is better and the team is winning games.
Minus his Reddish minutes, he did a good job coaching the Lakers to a win versus a division rival.
Grade: A
Thursday’s DNPs: Armel Traore
Thursday’s inactives: Jalen Hood-Schifino, Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, Bronny James, Maxwell Lewis, Quincy Olivari
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
