With Austin Reaves back in the lineup, the Lakers picked up their second win over the Kings this preseason, winning 114-110 on Thursday.
LA built up a big lead with the starters and regular rotation members on the floor, then saw it dwindle away in garbage time to make the score look much closer than the game ever was.
What was consistent throughout was how sloppy the game was as the two teams combined for 50 turnovers. LA also struggled on the glass, allowing 20 offensive rebounds. They made up for it by getting to the line 38 times.
Luka opened the game with an and-one on the Lakers’ first possession before Austin found a soaring Adou Thiero for a dunk to open up the game in style for LA.
Sacramento did hold an early 10-7 lead, but an 8-0 run featuring threes from Luka and Jake LaRavia pushed LA ahead.
Still, it was a back-and-forth first quarter that saw neither team leading by more than five. Luka was up to his hot-starting ways with 10 points in the opening frame, but the rest of the team had 11 as the Lakers led 21-20 after one.
After falling behind 22-21 early in the second frame, the Lakers exploded for a 19-3 run to blow the game open.
Nearly all of the scoring in the run was done from beyond the arc with threes coming from LaRavia, Luka, Austin, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Matisse Thybulle.
Mamu was one of the stars of the second period with nine points while Austin really found his groove in the frame, scoring six points while dishing four dimes.
A 15-point Lakers lead was trimmed down to 10 points midway through the period, but LA responded with four points from Reaves and layups from Mamu and Kevon Looney to push it back to 16 points.
At the half, the Lakers led 57-43.
Adou Thiero continued his strong preseason by finishing at the rim off a nice dime from Austin earlier in the third.
After building up a 16-point lead again, the Lakers conceded an 8-0 run to halve the deficit. Much of LA’s scoring was coming at the line as they had five free throws and four field goals past the midway point in the quarter.
Luka was in midseason form by picking up a technical during a timeout while continuing to voice his displeasure with the officials throughout the third. Following a coming together at midcourt with Emanuel Sharp that had Luka particularly upset, he came out of the game for good.
Things got very sloppy between the two sides, with the Kings coming out on top, cutting the lead to five after consecutive buckets from Precious Achiuwa.
LaRavia and Mamu helped restore some order to push LA’s lead back to double digits following a fastbreak finish from the former. Mamu then buried a step-back 3-pointer before a spot-up 3-pointer off a nice pass from Bronny James to make it an 86-70 lead going into the fourth.
The Lakers went to an uber-small lineup in the fourth featuring Bronny, Adou, Grimes, LaRavia and Thybulle. Eventually, LA cycled in fresh faces, including Chris Mañon and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Things got a little haywire in the closing minutes as the Kings made it a contest, pulling within four points with 2:00 left. William Kyle and Vando each scored to push the lead back to eight before Hardy and Bronny helped close the game at the free throw line.
Luka tallied 23 points in 25 minutes to lead the Lakers. Austin finished with eight points but had eight assists and six rebounds.
Mamu finished with 19 points off the bench while LaRavia notched 14 points, three rebounds and two assists. Adou Thiero had six points and Quentin Grimes finished with 12.
The Lakers will be back in action on Tuesday when they play the Warriors in Las Vegas at 7 p.m. PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.