A Royal Pain
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Defense Will Be Key In Game Against Lakers

By Gurjus Singh

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 24: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball while being defended by Harrison Barnes #40 of the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center on March 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images,)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 24: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball while being defended by Harrison Barnes #40 of the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center on March 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images,) /
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The key to winning Friday’s game for the Sacramento Kings will be their defensive abilities against one of the best duos in the league.

The Sacramento Kings will play their 11th game of the season on Friday evening as they travel to Los Angeles to play the Lakers who have one of the top records in the NBA.

After overcoming a disastrous season that lacked team chemistry and saw long-term injuries affect some of their best players, the Lakers are completely revamped. The duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis may be one of the best in the league, and they are surrounded by shooters like Danny Green. LA is off to a 9-2 start and currently sits in first place.

The Kings come into the Lakers game with an underwhelming record of 4-6, but have won four of their last five contests. We take a look into how the Kings can beat the Lakers on Friday night.

Containing The Duo

The Kings will need to prioritize defense in this game. The Lakers core consists of Davis and Lebron as the primary scorers and will get a majority of the looks. They combine for 50 points of the Lakers 111 points on average, so limiting them from scoring will improve the Kings’ chances.

To limit this duo, the Kings may need to apply full-court pressure and make the Lakers work to get the ball up the court. Sacramento should be able to utilize Dewayne Dedmon more this game, as his size will be a factor. Don’t be surprised to see the Kings go deep into their bench for fresh legs to keep up with Davis.

The Kings should be looking to limit the duo as much as possible, and make other players beat them.

Allow them to Shoot Threes

Although Davis and James can be tough to guard, the Kings will need to limit their transition points, and only allow them to take heavily contested threes. LA shoots just 32.7% from behind the arc.

Another key will be limiting the number of open looks for the aforementioned Green, who shoots 44% from deep.

Hacking Strategy?

While we won’t see any Hack-A-Shaqs, the Kings would be smart to get poor free throw shooters like Dwight Howard and Javale McGee to the charity stripe. This could also be an instance where Luke Walton goes deep into his bench to allow his starters to stay out of foul trouble.

Offense

Even if the Kings do everything correctly on the defensive end, they still have to be able to put the ball in the basket. Buddy Hield needs to begin this game differently than he did Tuesday’s contest against the Trail Blazers when he struggled to hit open shots.

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The Kings are seventh in the league in three-point shooting percentage (37%).

The Kings will need to focus their attention on both sides of the ball and play a full four quarters of basketball to even have a chance to keep up with the mighty Lakers.

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