Los Angeles played well for most of the game, but still lost to the Kings 117-116 in preseason play.<\/p>\n
Luka Don\u010di\u0107 ended with 31 points, five rebounds and nine assists. Gabe Vincent scored 14 points in 23 minutes. Rui Hachimura pitched in with 18 in 30 minutes of play.<\/p>\n
Austin Reaves struggled, scoring eight points with eight dimes in 32 minutes of play. Deandre Ayton had 12 points, nine rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes.<\/p>\n
Marcus Smart had a terrific game with 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and four steals in 23 minutes. Jaxson Hayes notched six points and didn\u2019t return in the second half because of a right wrist contusion.<\/p>\n
It was a strong offensive beginning for both teams. The Lakers were shooting 55% from the field and the Kings were shooting 87% to start. Hachimura shouldered the scoring load for L.A. with five of their first 12 points.<\/p>\n
Nique Clifford and Drew Eubanks were cooking for Sacramento with a combined 10 points. Both teams were shooting more than 50% from behind the arc.<\/p>\n
Luka was quickly in double figures with 10 points after he had missed a few shots. Marcus Smart drained a 3-pointer, which were his first points as a Laker.<\/p>\n
He also showed off his defensive skills with two steals. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by two.<\/p>\n
The second period opened with Jarred Vanderbilt finishing a layup, followed by five quick points from Zach LaVine. Hayes continued his aggressive half for L.A., throwing down three dunks.<\/p>\n
Vincent caught fire once again from beyond the arc, knocking down three straight triples.<\/p>\n
Ayton started to find his rhythm, adding six points. Reaves struggled in the first half, connecting on just two of his nine shot attempts. Neither team could build a dominant lead. At halftime, the Lakers were up by three.<\/p>\n
Vincent opened the third quarter still hot from the arc, hitting another 3-pointer. Former Laker Dennis Schr\u00f6der converted on a few buckets. He was up to 12 points.<\/p>\n
Back-to-back triples from L.A. helped them build a double-digit lead.<\/p>\n
Hachimura was an impressive four for four from deep. Four of Los Angeles\u2019 five starters were in double figures for the game. Reaves continued to struggle offensively, but had seven assists.<\/p>\n
Maxi Kleber checked in at the 3:57 mark for his first preseason minutes.<\/p>\n
Smart found his offensive groove, scoring on a couple of baskets. Going into the fourth, L.A. was up by four.<\/p>\n
The Lakers started the final frame cold, struggling to convert on their first few shot attempts. Luka immediately put an end to that with back-to-back 3-pointers.<\/p>\n
Smart\u2019s dominant game continued as he kept finding ways to score. He was also up to four steals. Los Angeles emptied more of their bench to finish off the game, which saw them up by four with 3:34 left.<\/p>\n
At the 1:45 mark, Sacramento went up by one. L.A. then retook the lead. Los Angeles had the opportunity to get a rebound and keep it a one-point game, but Issac Jones picked up the rebound and Maxime Raynaud converted on a layup to make it a three-point game.<\/p>\n
Dalton Knecht then drained a clutch 3-pointer to tie it up with 01.4 left.<\/p>\n
Nick Smith Jr. seemed to have had a great defensive play, until a foul was called. Jones was sent to the line and made one of them. Los Angeles had 00.8 seconds to pull off a miracle and it didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n
Smart is going to quickly become a fan favorite. He looked fantastic out there doing the dirty work and scoring.<\/p>\n
The Luka-Ayton connection will take time to connect consistently, but it\u2019s looking like it\u2019s almost there!<\/p>\n
The Lakers\u2019 next matchup is opening night of the 2025-2026 season against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at 7:00 PM PT.<\/p>\n
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians<\/a>.<\/p>\n