SACRAMENTO — If the Lakers’ 113-100 win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night was Game 1 of a playoff series, then both teams would be strategizing adjustments for Saturday’s Game 2 rematch.
But this two-game set at Golden 1 Center isn’t the playoffs.
And with Saturday being just the Lakers’ 28th and the Kings’ 29th game of the regular season, there’s only so much mental and emotional investment that can be put into this one, with the Lakers scheduled to play 21 games in 41 days after this weekend following a three-day break from games entering Thursday.
But valuable lessons about game-planning can be learned from consecutive matchups against the same opponent.
“Game by game,” All-Star big man Anthony Davis said earlier in the week about the two-game set. “Obviously the game plan would be a little different than Game 1 going to Game 2. But take it one game at a time. That’s all you can do. You don’t know what’s gonna happen in Game 1 that’ll affect Game 2.”
The Lakers had the edge in Game 1, continuing their strong run of defensive play over the last two weeks.
Their single-game defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 96.2 on Thursday was a season-best mark – beating out the 99 single-game defensive rating they had in their Dec. 13 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers’ defensive rating of 98.5 over their last four games is the league’s best mark over that stretch. Their 108.8 defensive rating over their last 10 games ranks No. 7. They had a 118.2 defensive rating in their first 17 games, which ranked 27th.
“Defensively, the No. 1 thing is about all being accountable and holding your guy,” LeBron James said. “Understanding that don’t just let blow-bys happen or whatever the case may be, but also being on a string with the other four guys on the floor. And it starts with communication. And I think we’ve been communicating at a high (level) over the last four games. And we’re gonna need to continue that.”
Here are other keys for Saturday’s rematch:
• Winning the margins: The Lakers grabbed 10 more offensive rebounds (14-4), scored 12 more second-chance points (18-6), took 12 more field goal attempts (94-82) and eight more free throws (30-22) and scored 13 more points off turnovers (22-9) on Thursday. Every margin they won helped them pull out their third victory in four games despite the Kings shooting better from the field (45.1% to 40.4%) and from 3-point range (37.9% to 36.4%).
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• Shooting variance: The Lakers beat the Kings despite their near-month-long shooting struggles. The Lakers’ effective field goal percentage (a formula that adjusts for 3-pointers being worth more than made 2-pointers) of 50.4% on what the NBA has classified as “wide-open shots” (the closest defender is at least six feet away) over their last 12 games has been the league’s second-worst mark, just ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers (50%). The Lakers knocked down 40% of their wide-open 3-point attempts (6 for 15) on Thursday.
• Low-man activity: Coach JJ Redick was complimentary of the Lakers’ improvements with their help defense recently, specifically with their low man – the defender closest to the rim on the weak side of the floor who is usually responsible for providing the first wave of help defense when the opposing team’s offense either penetrates the defense or appears to be about to. That trend continued on Thursday, taking away Kings’ scoring opportunities before they fully developed.
LAKERS AT KINGS
When: Saturday, 3 p.m.
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
TV/radio: Spectrum SportsNet, 710 AM