LOS ANGELES — The Sacramento Kings edged the Los Angeles Lakers 117-116 on Friday night in a preseason finale at Crypto.com Arena, rallying late behind a fourth-quarter surge and closing their exhibition slate on a high note. The Kings, short-handed for much of the game, shot a robust 54.7 % from the field and piled up 31 points in the final period to pull ahead of the Lakers at the finish.

Sacramento’s early offense came largely from veteran guard Dennis Schröder, who scored 25 points, showcasing his midrange game and steady ball-handling in crunch time. Coming off the bench, Keon Ellis added 20 points while providing energy and defensive pressure in extended minutes. The duo helped the Kings keep pace with the Lakers through three quarters, despite missing a number of regular rotation players.

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The Lakers opened the game aggressively, buoyed by a strong performance from Luka Dončić. He piled up 31 points, nine assists and five rebounds while orchestrating much of LA’s offensive rhythm. With key veteran LeBron James unavailable due to a glute-sciatica issue, the Lakers treated this contest as a final dress rehearsal, testing lineups and roles ahead of the regular season. Gabe Vincent, starting in place of James, made a strong case with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, including 4-for-5 from three-point range, while Rui Hachimura contributed 18 points and the front court of Deandre Ayton and occasional ball-mover Austin Reaves filled in the rotation as head coach JJ Redick experimented with personnel.

Despite Los Angeles leading for much of the night and finishing with 28 assists against just 10 turnovers, Sacramento stayed within striking distance thanks to scrappy play and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities. The Kings steadily chipped away at the margin, and their decisive push came in the fourth quarter when they out-scored the Lakers off offensive rebounds, quick ball movement and a string of threes. Sacramento also out-rebounded LA and scored 48 points inside the paint, showing surprisingly physical interior play for a group short on experience.

As the clock wound down, the Lakers tied the game late and had possession in the closing seconds, but a foul with just about 1.4 seconds remaining sent the Kings to the free-throw line for the final point. Sacramento secured the rebound on the Lakers’ last desperation attempt, and the buzzer sounded to seal the one-point victory.

For the Kings, this win offers momentum as they head into the season despite their 1-3 preseason record. The coaching staff emphasized the benefit of having fringe rotation players gain higher minutes and experience in tight situations. For Los Angeles, the loss speaks to unfinished business—while the Lakers moved the ball well and showed flashes of cohesion, their early-game defensive lapses and late-game inability to execute under pressure remain troublesome heading into their season opener against the Golden State Warriors next week.

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Both teams will now turn away from the exhibition results and focus on sharpening their rotations, conditioning and game-management. For the Kings, ending the preseason with a flourish helps carry confidence into the regular season. For the Lakers, it’s a reminder that while dress rehearsals can look polished, they still leave plenty of room for improvement.