Lakers Aim To Prevent Kings From Stretching Win Streak To Five Games

LeBron James will lead the Lakers anew but needs support to pull off another win. Harry How/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

The Kings will try to stretch winning streak against the Lakers
The Kings hold a regular season series edge over the Lakers, 2-1
The Lakers need to give LeBron James Russell Westbrook some help to turn back the Kings

The Sacramento Kings will try to extend their winning run to five games on Wednesday, January 18 when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers at the Crytpo.com Arena.

Both teams are coming off wins in their last assignments, ironically against two cellar-dwelling teams in the Western Conference.

The Kings defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 132-119, to extend their win streak to four.

Harrison Barnes led the way with 29 points, while De'Aaron Fox chipped in 23 markers.

Domantas Sabonis did his share as well, finishing with 18 points, 18 rebounds, and eight assists.

"For us, we tried to match that aggression with aggression," Barnes said. "If they are going to deny passes, force us off our spots, we're going to try to cut hard and put pressure on the rim."

The Kings have the third-highest offensive rating in the league right now with 118 points per 100 possessions.

On the defensive side, they are allowing 115.1 points per 100 possessions, 24th in the NBA.

On the other side, the Lakers are coming from a bounce-back win over another rebuilding team in the form of the Houston Rockets.

The Purple and Gold won the game, 140-132, but they needed the right breaks towards the end to pull off the victory.

LeBron James held up the fort with 48 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds, whereas Russell Westbrook added 24 markers, five caroms, and four dimes.

"I was extremely exhausted today," James stated. "I could have very easily taken tonight off, but ... our ballclub couldn't use me taking a night off, I didn't feel like. I wanted to sit on that loss with Philly last night. I wanted to get that out of my taste buds and see if we could win a ballgame tonight. It was a complete team effort, and I just tried to make plays."

The Lakers are 20th with an offensive efficiency of 113, 16th in the league.

Defensively, the Lakers have a defensive rating of 113.7.

The Kings are -3.5 spread favorites to prevail over the Lakers, who are at +3.5.

Furthermore, the Moneyline is -152 for Sacramento and +133 for Los Angeles.

With the tip-off set for 10:30 PM ET, the game will be telecast over the NBA League Pass and fuboTV.