Los Angeles Lakers (5-16)
vs.
Sacramento Kings (11-10)
December 9th, 7:30 PM Pacific
The Kings are above the .500 mark despite DeMarcus Cousins missing some time, but the Lakers continue to drop winnable games. Despite a roster shakeup, LA has been unable to slow teams, and they do not have the firepower to outscore teams when they are surrendering easy buckets. There is some pride on the line here, as there is any time the Lakers deal with an in-state team, but one has to wonder what could motivate this bunch in the purple and gold.
The Lakers won three of four games against the Kings last season, but it should be noted that they lost the most recent one. So the Kings look to continue their winning streak against their in-state "rival." Not many returning Lakers did much to speak of in those wins, however. Nick Young scored 17 points in a loss, but he accounted for just 21 points combined in the two wins in which he played. Jordan Hill averaged 9...
Saw this on Twitter:
Word is Johnson to the bench for Young
I've got to head out for a few hours, so I can't stick around and hear reactions, but I'll begin: this is the wrong move. Or at least it feels like it.
Los Angeles Lakers (5-14)
at
Boston C Bags (5-11)
4:30 PM Pacific
The Lakers' winning streak has been snapped, and the C Bags' losing streak has also come to an end. Evidence suggests that both of those recent trends will continue. Viewers might be in for some boring basketball, to boot, as the teams are both pretty bad this season, and apart from Kobe and Rondo, there are not many exciting offensive players in this game. Then again, this is Lakers vs. C Bags, and that in itself carries some gravitas.
The Lakers swept the two-game head to head series last season, winning by a combined 12 points. LA's bench did the heavy lifting, getting 97 points combined. It was a total team effort, with no Laker who will suit up tonight having a strong series. One common element was a very poor assist to turnover ratio: The Lakers handed out 50 assists but turned it over 37 times. Excluding Kendall Marshall, those numbers drop to 28 and 26.
