Kings roll past Lakers
- Noah Tinoco
- Dec 13, 2016
- 2 min read
The Kings were down 58-49 at halftime and they lost 2 starters to injuries in the 1st half. Against a tough, young Lakers squad who were desperate for a win after losing 6 straight entering tonight, the Kings absolutely took over in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Lakers 39-13. The Kings never let the Lakers get close for the rest of the game, as the Kings took the victory tonight 116-92.
In the 1st half, both teams lost significant members of their teams. The Kings lost both Ben McLemore and Rudy Gay to early injuries, and the Lakers lost their Head Coach Luke Walton as he got ejected when he stormed onto the court after DeMarcus Cousins and Julius Randle got tangled up. Walton wanted an offensive foul call on Cousins but no whistle was blown. Right away Walton was called for a tech and no more than 15 seconds later, he was thrown out of the game.
With McLemore and Gay hurt and Matt Barnes unavailable tonight, the Kings needed their bench to really step up. Enter Garrett Temple and Omri Casspi. Both guys played 30+ minutes and both guys played very well on both ends of the court. Temple finished with 16 PTS and 2/2 from beyond the arc. Casspi finished with 13 PTS and well as 6 REB. Ty Lawson's defense was very effective tonight as well as he had 4 steals on the night. The bench stepped up when they needed too tonight and that paved the way for the Kings victory.
The Kings superstar DeMarcus Cousins had another dominate game tonight as the Lakers had no answer for him. Another double-double as Cousins finished with 31 and 16 as well as another technical foul which is his 9th already this season. The Kings other big man, Kosta Koufus, had what Coach Joerger called postgame his "best game of the year." He finished with 10 and 7 in 32 minutes.
The Kings dominate 3rd quarter helped the Kings win their 1st home game since November 23rd. A much needed Kings win as they head out on a 3 game road trip starting Wednesday in Houston. Kings fans will have to be patient to hear the severity of Gay and McLemore's injuries, but for now let's all enjoy this win over the teams' most hated rival.
Learn more about the author here: Noah Tinoco
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