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10 Things to Know: Lakers vs. Kings (1/20/16)

Here is what you need to know before the Lakers host the Sacramento Kings.

1)
Julius Randle collected his team-leading 14th double-double of the season against Houston on Sunday. The sophomore also has five more double-doubles than any other second-year player in the league.

2)
Kobe Bryant is expected to play in his fifth straight game despite a sore shoulder and sore Achilles. Meanwhile, Larry Nance Jr. will almost certainly sit out with a sore knee, leaving Randle to start in his place.

3)
Byron Scott got his coaching start with the Kings as an assistant from 1998-2000. He parlayed that stint immediately into becoming the head coach of the New Jersey Nets, whom he led to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003.

4)
The Last time these two teams met, the Lakers shot a season-high 54.7 percent in Sacramento on Jan. 7. However, Los Angeles trailed by as many as 27 points, as the Kings won their fifth straight game against their southern neighbors.

5)
Sacramento is led by DeMarcus Cousins, who ranks within the NBA’s top five in both scoring and rebounding. The sixth-year pro has been nigh-unstoppable lately by recording a double-double in seven straight games, while averaging 31.0 points and 14.0 rebounds.

6)
Like Cousins, Rajon Rondo has been on a tear lately, racking up double-digit assists in eight consecutive games. The former Celtic is dropping more dimes (11.6) than any player in the NBA since he averaged 11.7 in Boston in 2011-12.

7)
Omri Casspi led the NBA in percentage on layups last year (70.2), but now he’s getting it done from outside the arc as well. The Israel native owns the NBA’s third-best 3-point percentage (47.3) and is knocking down a team-best 2.0 triples per game.

8)
A pair of Kings, Cousins and Rudy Gay, are among the 30 finalists for the 2016 United States Olympic Basketball Team. Both men helped Team USA to a gold medal at the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

9)
The Kings love to get out and run, as they lead the NBA in pace with 101.9 possessions per game. This has been reflected in their first two games against L.A., in which they averaged 125.0 points.

10)
That speed has helped Sacramento average the league’s third-most points (106.3), but it also has its drawbacks, as the Kings surrender an NBA-high 108.3 per game.

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