Kings rally spoils James’ return to the Lakers’ lineup
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James’ return to the Lakers’ lineup wasn’t enough to lift Los Angeles out of its slump.
James scored 16 points in his first action in nearly six weeks, but the Sacramento Kings were able to rally in the fourth quarter for a 110-106 victory on Friday night.
James suffered a high right ankle sprain on March 20 against the Atlanta Hawks and missed the next 20 games, which was the longest absence of his career. He played 32 minutes and was 6 of 12 from the field. He missed what would have been a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds remaining.
“For my first game, I felt OK. My ankle was a little tight at times doing different movements,” said James, who also had eight rebounds and seven assists. “As the games go along, that will continue to improve. I came out unscathed and pretty good, so it was a good start.”
The defending NBA champion Lakers have dropped five of their last six and are 8-13 in their last last 21 games. The Lakers (36-27) are the fifth seed in the Western Conference, but are only a half-game ahead of Dallas and one game ahead of Portland. If Los Angeles fell to the seventh seed, it would have to take part in the play-in tournament.
“I was encouraged about how he looked. He’s not just coming back after being out for two months, but he’s playing with new teammates,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “It was a very disappointing loss. I expect there to be an adjustment over
the final nine games. We have to balance that and get these guys each day to find their chemistry and win as many games along the way.”
Anthony Davis — who missed 16 games while James was out — led the Lakers with 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Andre Drummond had 17 points. It was the first time Drummond played with James since he was signed on March 28.
Davis, who has been back for only five games, isn’t concerned about the latest slump.
“Guys are still trying to get back to playing with myself and LeBron. We have nine games left to get it going,” he said. “We don’t want to be in a play-in situation. Even though we don’t want to lose, we want to gain momentum. We are confident in ourselves and once the playoffs start it is a different story.”
Tyrese Haliburton led Sacramento with 23 points and 10 assists, and Richaun Holmes added 22 points. The Kings bounced back despite missing two of their top players — De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes — and after a 49-point loss to Utah on Wednesday.
“I’m not scratching my head that we bounced back tonight and came and gave that type of effort because that’s what we should do,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “That’s what we should expect.”