LOS ANGELES -- The one that got away. With everything going their way in the fourth quarter, the Kings went cold in Los Angeles and the Lakers made them pay.
Fueled by a 20-6 run down the stretch, the Lakers stunned the Kings at Staples Center, coming away with a 121-114 victory.
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Here are three takeaways as the Kings missed out on a huge opportunity and fell to 19-17 on the season.
Meltdown in crunch time
The Kings couldn’t buy a bucket late and the Lakers couldn’t miss. Sacramento led 108-101 at the 7:26 mark of the fourth and then the rim got tight.
De’Aaron Fox, Iman Shumpert, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Justin Jackson and Buddy Hield all took turns bricking shots. Brandon Ingram and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope carried Los Angeles down the stretch for a dramatic win.
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Shouldering the load
Fox has been really good all season for Sacramento, but he’s been a bit banged up for the last few games with a shoulder injury.
The sophomore point guard proved unguardable early against the Lakers, scoring 14 points on 7-of-9 in the first half. Moments before the team went to the locker room, Fox took a shot in the shoulder from Kyle Kuzma, leaving his second half in doubt.
Fox returned coming out of the intermission, promptly hit a 3-pointer and then hit the bench for a long stint after picking up his fourth foul.
He returned to open the fourth quarter and finished strong, posting 26 points on 12-of-19 shooting to go with seven assists and three steals.
Bounceback Buddy
After posting two straight sub-par performances, Hield woke up against the Lakers and made a huge impact.
The third-year guard found his shooting range from the perimeter, knocking down 4-of-11 from deep on his way to 21 points.