Complete collapse of Doncic and LeBron's Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers suffered a 124-112 defeat on Monday against Sacramento Kings marked by a unique statistic: their worst three-point defense in history in a game with at least 25 opponent attempts. However, the focus from the Lakers' locker room was more on their own offensive issues rather than what happened defensively. Luka Doncic slump.

LeBron James explained after the game that, in his view, the defensive strategy was not bad. The difference, according to the forward, was in the outside shooting accuracy: Sacramento made a high number of threes and the Lakers could not respond in that aspect. The data supports his words: the Kings shot 17 out of 26 from beyond the arc, a 65.4%, the highest percentage ever conceded by the Californian franchise in those conditions.

DeMar DeRozan was Sacramento's top scorer with 32 points, shooting 14 for 19 from the field, all of them two-pointers. The damage from the perimeter mainly came from familiar faces in Los Angeles. Malik Monk contributed 26 points with 7 out of 9 from three, while Russell Westbrook added 22 points with 4 of 8 from beyond the arc.

On the other hand, the Lakers only made 8 of 36 three-point attempts. The statistic slightly improved in the final minutes when Bronny James hit two consecutive threes with the game already decided.

Coach JJ Redick reiterated a recurring pattern in recent weeks. According to the team's internal data, they generated 50 potential assists, but only 21 were converted. For the coach, the solution lies in maintaining confidence and continuing to shoot.

The defeat was the third consecutive one and the seventh in the last eleven games for the Lakers, dropping to a record of 23-14, placed fifth in the West. The pre-game environment already showed signs of relaxation facing a rival with a 9-30 record, positioned in the fourteenth spot in the conference. In the locker room, they were watching an NFL playoffs game on TV instead of the latest match between the two teams, and several players were absent from the court during the initial presentation.

Rui Hachimura, no longer on the injury report after missing six games due to a right calf issue, ultimately did not play. Redick explained that the forward was only available for one of the back-to-back games and also had a strict minute restriction, so they decided to save him for the game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Despite everything, the presence of 41-year-old LeBron James and Luka Doncic showed the team's competitive intent. Both scored the first eight points of the game and forced a Sacramento timeout with just two minutes played. From there, the script changed: the Lakers missed nine of their first eleven three-point attempts and conceded the initiative before halftime.

Nothing Works for the Lakers

James finished with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, with no success on five three-point shots. Doncic, on the other hand, once again delivered a standout performance: 42 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals, after scoring 40 before the final quarter. It was his seventh game of the season surpassing 40 points, despite dealing with groin discomfort that required treatment during the game. The Slovenian himself admitted he had doubts until the last minute about his participation.

The availability of both for the upcoming game against Atlanta will depend on their progress the next day. The struggles of Los Angeles coincide with the prolonged absence of Hachimura and, especially, with the loss of Austin Reaves, whose strong start to the season was halted by a left calf injury. Reaves has been out for two weeks, and his return is not expected for at least another two.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Hundimiento total de Los Angeles Lakers de Doncic y LeBron