In the city of Kings, only one ruled them all.
LeBron James scored 25 points and the Los Angeles Lakers shut down the high-octane offense of the Kings, 101-86, on Saturday night in Sacramento.
Both teams had impressive victories over the Minnesota Timberwolves in their last game, but the effects of playing just one night prior, compared to two full days of rest showed on the court, especially in the second half.
Sacramento defeated the T-Wolves on Friday night at Golden 1 Arena, whereas the Lakers last played on Wednesday, when they beat Minnesota, 114-100 at Staples Center.
The well-rested Lakers jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first half, and extended it to 20 in the second half before finally closing out the Kings in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter.
The Lakers biggest weakness through the first 11 games of the NBA season has been their defense, but led by veteran Tyson Chandler, Los Angeles held an opponent under 100 points for the first time this year.
Entering the game, the Sacramento Kings were the the fourth highest scoring team in the NBA, averaging close to 118 points on the season, but the Lakers held them to over 30 points below their average.
Sacramento has now lost three of their last four games, whereas the Lakers are winners of four-of-five after starting the season 2-5.
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A lot of pregame hype surrounded the battle between Lonzo Ball and De'Aaron Fox who were selected No. 2 and No.5 in the 2017 NBA Draft, respectively.
However, the real battle on the court became a battle between James and Fox, as each player led their team in scoring.
Fox had a team-high 21 points with seven rebounds and two assists. James matched the youngster with 25 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
TIP-INS
Lakers: The previous low by a Lakers opponent this season was 110 points. ... Ball missed all six of his 3-point attempts, most of them wide open. ... There were plenty of Los Angeles fans in the stands, and several "Let's Go Lakers" chants in the fourth quarter.
Kings: Sacramento's 44 points in the first half matched a season low. ... The Kings had scored 100 or more points in each of their seven previous contests. ... Sacramento is now 2-1 in the second game of back-to-back contests this season.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Return home to host Atlanta on Sunday.
Kings: Conclude a four-game home stand on Monday by hosting San Antonio, which has won 14 straight against Sacramento.
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