NBA Game of the Week: Kings vs. Lakers

Three weeks into the NBA season, teams are beginning to leave early impressions on fans with what to expect over the season.

This is a matchup between two California teams and Pacific Division rivals: the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers host the King, on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 10 pm ET.

Currently, the Kings sit in first place in the Pacific Division at 5-4 and the Lakers sit in second place at 6-5.

Earlier this season, the two teams faced off on October 29, with the Kings securing a 132-127 victory at home in overtime.

Through their first nine games, the Kings have sent two of them into overtime. They are one of six teams in the league to do so.

As of early Wednesday evening, LeBron James is listed as questionable (left calf) and Anthony Davis (left hip) is listed as probable for the game.

The Lakers are on game two of a back-to-back. On Tuesday night, they beat the Memphis Grizzlies 134-107 at home in their second In-Season Tournament game.

The Lakers have a three-game winning streak going into this game.

With a questionable James, the Lakers will look to rely on their shooters such as D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves to supplement points for an offense that may be without their lead scorer.

The Lakers make up the bottom half of the NBA in three-point completion percentage.

They have a success rate of just 34.0%. On Tuesday’s game against the Grizzlies, the team went 22-35 behind the arc, tying a franchise record.

The Lakers are looking to carry the previous night’s hot shooting into the second game of a back-to-back.

The Kings also carry a three-game winning streak into this game. De'Aaron Fox played in Monday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers after missing the five prior games with an ankle injury.

In his return, he scored 28 points, going 11-20 from the field, 2-6 behind the arc and 4-7 at the line.

Kings head coach, Mike Brown, secured his 400 career regular-season victory on Monday night. He became the 54 coach in NBA history to do so.

Last season, the Kings took three of four games against the Lakers. The largest point differential was on Dec. 12, 2022, when the Kings won 134-120.

Their past matchups, the other three from last season and the one earlier in October of this season, have all been decided by a range of two to six points.

Ultimately, Wednesday night’s game comes down to the Lakers remaining hot behind the arc and the Kings capitalizing on a tired Lakers team playing in a back-to-back.

Until Tuesday night’s game, the Lakers' season average three-point completion percentage was 3.6%.

Any percentage under about 40% will not contribute to winning basketball and this is one reason why the Lakers find themselves at 6-5.

The Pacific Division rivalry looks to excite fans across California and Lakers fans will anxiously await if James plays tonight.

Regardless if the oldest player in the league plays tonight or not, the history of close contests will make this game, with a West Coast start time, a must-watch for all.

Julia Henry is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email jbh6443@psu.edu.