For the first time in the history of the Lakers' franchise, the team has lost 60 games in a season. Loss No. 60 came on Monday night in the LA Lakers' penultimate game of the season. In Sacramento on the second night of a back-to-back, the Lakers lost 102-92, as the Kings gained separation late in the ball game.
However, the defeat was immediately overshadowed by standout rookie Jordan Clarkson's sprained ankle.
Clarkson has been the Lakers' shining light in a season of darkness. The 22-year-old played 47 minutes and 11 seconds before his coach, Byron Scott, took the initiative and pulled his limping point guard. With the team drowning in an injury crisis, Clarkson was on pace to play the full game, and the rookie came within 49 seconds of doing just that: 23 points (10/21), six assists, five rebounds and five steals.
Asked by Time Warner Cable about the ankle after the game, Clarkson said "the plan" was to have him play on Wednesday, but it was too early to tell whether or not he would be able to go or to what extent. Scott said Clarkson would need to take part in Wednesday morning shootaround, or the rookie would sit out the season finale. The coach also said that he would not plan of playing Clarkson 48 minutes for the last game.
Scott pointed to Vander Blue, who played his first game for the Lakers in Monday's loss, as a player who could help ease the minutes off Clarkson. Blue only joined the team on Monday night as an emergency guard. On Sunday, the team ruled Jeremy Lin out for the season with a sore left knee, Dwight Buycks broke a bone in his hand and Wesley Johnson sprained his ankle.
The Lakers went into Sacramento looking thin.
LA lost a game few will remember fondly in terms of entertainment value. Omri Casspi scored 26 points to lead all scorers, and 10 of those came via the free throw line. For the Lakers, Clarkson led the way, but rookie Jabari Brown also continued to show scoring and passing ability with 18 points and seven assists.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
Off the bench, Ed Davis grabbed 14 rebounds, of which nine came on the offensive glass. Along with Davis, Carlos Boozer earned rare late season minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds in his 20 minutes. The duo of big men out-rebounded the entire Kings' team 17-5 on the offensive glass.
Ultimately, though, the loss came down to the Lakers' fouling on defense, and Sacramento making 28 of 36 free throws over the course of 48 minutes. In contrast, the Lakers only attempted 13 foul shots, making eight of them.
Finally, the Lakers end their season on Wednesday night in a rematch against the Sacramento Kings. This time, however, they play at Staples Center at 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time. With a loss in the finale, the 2014/15 Lakers will become the worst team in the history of the franchise.
