NBA Wrap: LeBron James-less Lakers falters in last seconds against Kings

In the loss, Kyle Kuzma stepped up for the Lakers, logging 34 points with four assists and nine rebounds.

Published : Dec 28, 2018 13:52 IST

Kyle Kuzma tried to fill LeBron James' shoes, while Lonzo Ball was just short of a triple-double. 
Kyle Kuzma tried to fill LeBron James' shoes, while Lonzo Ball was just short of a triple-double. 
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Kyle Kuzma tried to fill LeBron James' shoes, while Lonzo Ball was just short of a triple-double. 

In a California battle, the Sacramento Kings reigned supreme with a 117-116 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

In the Lakers' first game without LeBron James, who is sidelined with a groin injury, Bogdan Bogdanovic stepped up for the Kings and drilled a 3-pointer in the last seconds of the game to seal the win.

 

Kyle Kuzma tried to fill James' shoes, logging 34 points with four assists and nine rebounds, while Lonzo Ball was just short of a triple-double with 20 points,12 assists and nine rebounds. 

Bogdanovic came off the bench to lead all Kings players with 23 points.

Stud of the Night

James Harden is the reigning league MVP, and he's making his case for a second campaign. The Houston Rockets star scored 45 points, marking the sixth game in a row he's scored 35 points or more. He also made nine 3-pointers, which tied his career-high.

Dud of the Night

Klay Thompson's slump continued as the Warriors fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 110-109 in overtime. Thompson scored just 15 points off 6 of 19 field goal attempts, went 2-for-9 beyond the arc and went 1-for-4 in free throws. It also didn't help that he got drilled in the face with the ball during the game.

 

Highlights

New York Knicks center Enes Kanter and Milwaukee Bucks utility man Giannis Antetokounmpo got into a spat and needed teammates to pull them apart during Milwaukee's 112-96 win.

Kyle Korver may be 37, but he can still shoot 3s like he did in his younger years. In the Jazz game against the 76ers, Korver sank this beauty right before the shot clock ran out at the end of the first quarter.

 

What's Next?

Nuggets (21-12) at Spurs (19-16) — Denver Nuggets will travel to San Antonio for these teams' first matchup of the season. The surging San Antonio Spurs has won seven of its last 10 games, while the Denver is half a game behind Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference.

Denver will be looking to shake off a tough loss against the Los Angeles Clippers, which saw Nikola Jokic ejected, while the Spurs will try to bounce back from a loss against the Rockets. It will be a matchup between two Western Conference teams that look poised for the postseason.

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