Casspi Helps Kings Beat Lakers, 102-92
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Omri Casspi had 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists to help the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers 102-92 on Monday night.
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Kings, who outscored the Lakers 27-18 in the fourth period to avoid their ninth loss in 10 games.
Jordan Clarkson scored 15 points of his 23 points in the second half for the Lakers, who only suited up nine players. Both Jordan Hill had and Jabari Brown had 18 points. Los Angeles has dropped seven of eight.
Assuming they don't want to go down as the worst team in franchise history, there was plenty at stake for the Lakers. The 1957-58 Minneapolis Lakers went 19-53 and had a .264 winning percentage. The current Lakers (21-60, .259 percentage) need a victory in their final game to avoid that distinction.
Derrick Williams scored 20 points for the Kings. Carl Landry added 14, Ray McCallum had 12. Jason Thompson added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Although Kings fans screamed "Beat LA" several times, there was little at stake for Sacramento, who was playing its final home game of a forgettable season.
The Kings had to shut down leading scorer and rebounder DeMarcus Cousins (right foot) and Rudy Gay (concussion) for the final three games of the regular season, which concludes Wednesday against the host Lakers.
The two lottery-bound Western Conference teams both played with injury-plagued lineups in the meaningless game. The Kings will finish with their ninth straight losing season. They played with three head coaches this season and are 10-18 under current coach George Karl, who took over the team after the All-Star break.
The Lakers have had a second straight horrible season. This year the team will own the second worst Western Conference record and fourth overall in the NBA.
The Kings closed out the fourth quarter strong. Ahead by one point, they went on a 10-1 run to seal the victory.
Evander Blue made a 3-pointer to pull the Lakers within a point, but Casspi and McCallum both made two free throws for a 93-88 Kings lead with 3:48 left.
Casspi scored eight points in the third quarter, helping the Kings take a 75-74 lead into the fourth.
TIP INS
Lakers: Guard Dwight Buycks became the latest Lakers' casualty, breaking his hand Sunday against Dallas. The Lakers have lost eight guards to injury or retirement this season. The other injured guards include Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Wayne Ellington, Nick Young, Ronnie Price, Xavier Henry and Jeremy Lin. ... Blue, who was playing for the L.A. D-Fenders, was added to the roster after catching a flight that landed in Sacramento an hour before game time. He entered the game in the opening quarter.
Kings: The Kings are 5-16 when Cousins hasn't played this season. . Ben McLemore is the only Kings player to appear in every game this season. ... The Kings entered the game ranked 29th in points allowed and the Los Angeles were 28th.
UP NEXT.
Lakers host the Kings on Wednesday.
(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
