On LeBron James’ 34th birthday, his Lakers teammates gave him something he hadn’t received in nearly three years: a win without him.
James — who missed his third straight game with a strained left groin — entered the night with his teams losing 13 straight games when he was out.
But the Lakers ended that slide (which included 11 losses by the Cavaliers) with a 121-114 comeback over Sacramento.
Just three days prior, the Lakers suffered heartbreak at the hands of the Kings (19-17), who beat L.A. on a buzzer-beater up in Sacramento. However, the purple and gold got its revenge with some of its own late-game heroics, as it trailed by seven with only four minutes left.
But the Lakers (21-16) then ripped off 12 unanswered points, including seven from a red-hot Brandon Ingram.
The 21-year-old made it a one-possession game with a spinning layup in transition. Then he tied the game with a mid-range pull-up. And he took the lead for good by stepping into a 3-pointer with two minutes left.
Ingram controlled much of the game throughout the night, recording 21 points, a season-high nine assists and seven rebounds.
He also shot 9-of-13 from the field, attacking Sacramento’s switching defense while getting to his spots in the mid-range and the non-restricted paint.
“He seemed to have a joy about him playing tonight that, when he has it, it’s a lot of fun to watch,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said “Whether it’s practice or a game, that’s where we have to get to.”
But Ingram’s highlight of the night came at the rim, where he left Willie Cauley-Stein befuddled with a smooth ball-fake into a layup.
While Ingram’s scoring came alive in the fourth, a couple of wings filled the bucket for most of the night, as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Josh Hart both dropped their season-high in points.
KCP led all players with 26, getting into a rhythm from beyond the arc with five triples. Hart, meanwhile, added 22 of his own, largely by attacking off screens.
Meanwhile, Kyle Kuzma struggled with his shot (5-of-17), but mimicked Ingram’s all-around game by cobbling together 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
And the Lakers’ bigs were key on the glass. JaVale McGee — who had missed the previous two weeks due to a respiratory infection — led all players with 12 rebounds, while Tyson Chandler added eight (including five on the offensive glass).
But the game largely came down to defense. Sacramento did what it wanted in the first three quarters, shooting 53.5 percent from the field and hitting a dozen 3-pointers on a 50.0 percent clip.
Yet the Kings were held to 18 points in the fourth, shooting 8-of-24 from the field and 1-of-10 on triples.
“We had to be aggressive on defense,” Caldwell-Pope said. “Stop letting them get easy baskets, be disciplined and also rebound the ball. They didn’t have any second-chance points in the second half.”
Notes
The Kings were led by De’Aaron Fox (26 points), Buddy Hield (21) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (21). … The Lakers had a 20-9 advantage in second-chance points. … The game featured 18 lead changes and 13 ties.