Lakers game analysis today: Three-point shots went cold, lost to the second-to-last team in the West, suffering a third consecutive defeat

Today, the Lakers faced the Western Conference's second-to-last team, the Kings, on the road. The starting five remained the same: Doncic, Smart, LaRavia, James, and Ayton. The Kings' starters were Westbrook, LaVine, DeRozan, Achiuwa, and French center Roussel

At the start, the Lakers’ first six points all came from James, including an alley-oop dunk on the very first possession

The Kings made a turnover, Doncic pushed in a fast-break layup, prompting the Kings to call a timeout first

Westbrook hit a mid-range jumper, James showed energy again with a strong drive to the basket

Ayton scored from the free-throw line, and Doncic followed with consecutive mid-range jumpers

While James rested, Ayton hit a floater, the Kings scored 4 straight points, and the Lakers’ first three-pointer came from Doncic

The Kings scored 7 straight points, but Lakers’ Ellis finally made a three-pointer, forcing the Kings to call a timeout

Knecht hit a three-pointer right after coming in

DeRozan, Hayes, and LaVine all made free throws; James returned, and a shot that surprisingly had no whistle was ruled a block by the opponent

After the Kings took the lead, James scored on a floater

LaVine made both free throws; at the end of the first quarter, the Lakers trailed 28-32 to the Kings. James had 10 points, Doncic 11 points with 1 rebound and 2 assists, Ayton 3 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, Knecht 3 points, Hayes 1 point and 1 rebound

In the second quarter, Knecht’s three-pointer was blocked, and Ayton immediately returned the favor with a block of his own

Ayton made one of two free throws, and James set him up for an alley-oop dunk

Monk hit two consecutive three-pointers, showing no mercy against his former team

Doncic came back and isolated Westbrook in a one-on-one play

The Kings scored 5 straight points, Monk hit another three, extending the lead to 10. After a Lakers timeout, Doncic was blocked, the Kings added two more points, then Doncic scored 4 straight points

Monk made a 2+1 play, but the ball was called out of bounds on the Lakers; they challenged and won the call

Doncic made both free throws; Monk was unstoppable, hitting 4 of 4 three-pointers

Doncic kept drawing fouls, Westbrook made a three-pointer, and Monk kept going, now 5 of 5 from beyond the arc

The gap widened, James returned and made both free throws, LaRavia scored two fast-break points, the Lakers narrowed the score to 49-59, and the Kings called a timeout

Hayes’s dunk was explosive

Doncic hit an almost buzzer-beating three-pointer

At halftime, the Lakers trailed 54-61 to the Kings. James had 12 points and 1 assist, Doncic 26 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists, Ayton 6 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, LaRavia 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, Hayes 5 points, 1 rebound, Knecht 3 points, Smart 1 rebound, 2 assists, Vander Blue 2 rebounds, Vincent 1 assist

In the third quarter, the Kings went on a 12-3 run, pushing the Lakers’ deficit to 16 points, exposing many defensive weaknesses

Doncic scored on a floater, DeRozan completed a 2+1 play, and with Westbrook’s three-pointer, the Lakers officially fell behind by 20 points

Doncic scored on a floater, James made two free throws, the Kings hit a three-pointer, and James answered with a drive

Doncic and Westbrook scored consecutively, James drove and scored, forcing the Kings to call a timeout

Westbrook and Vincent both hit three-pointers, Doncic made two free throws, DeRozan scored a mid-range jumper, Doncic made two free throws and consecutive jump shots, reaching 40 points, prompting the Kings to call another timeout

Both teams exchanged points, and James drove in for a layup

The Lakers entered the fourth quarter trailing 83-95. LaVine opened with a mid-range jumper, Vincent was left open but made a three-pointer

Hayes scored on a put-back, LaVine hit a three, and Vincent responded with one of his own

James made both free throws, Hayes dunked on a pass, cutting the deficit to 7 points, and the Kings called a timeout

Monk hit a three-pointer, Hayes scored on a second-chance dunk

DeRozan made a mid-range jumper, Smart missed consecutive shots, leading to a fast-break by the opponents, forcing a Lakers timeout

Smart made one of two free throws, DeRozan completed a 2+1 play, Ayton scored 4 straight points, Doncic made a mid-range jumper, and the Kings called their last timeout

DeRozan hit a mid-range jumper and consecutive three-pointers, crushing the Lakers’ hopes

Brownie came in and made two three-pointers

The final score was Lakers 112 - Kings 124. James finished with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal; Doncic scored 42 points with 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals; Ayton had 13 points and 13 rebounds; LaRavia contributed 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists; Smart had 1 point, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals; Hayes scored 12 points with 5 rebounds; Vincent had 9 points; Knecht 5 points and 2 rebounds; Brownie 6 points

By the way, the Kings are the second-to-last team in the West and were playing their second game in two nights today. The Lakers have now suffered their third straight loss