In a Sunday night showdown on March 17 at Staples Center, the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers weren't at full power.
While the hometown Lakers would have to manage without Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, the Kings would have to play without DeMarcus Cousins.
It was a good start for the Kings with no turnovers in the first quarter, but Jason Thompson picked up two quick fouls for an early benching. Lakers forward Antawn Jamison came off the bench to score eight points, leading to a 33-27 lead for his team.
With the Kings trailing by as much as nine points early in the second quarter, Marcus Thornton came off the bench to score seven unanswered points. A 15-5 run helped give the Kings a two-point lead late in the first half, but a late shot by Steve Nash sent both teams into halftime tied at 56.
With the Kings' shooting gone cold in the third quarter, Jamison continued to power the Lakers in the third quarter and helped give his team its largest lead at 86-76.
The Kings made one last run behind Marcus Thornton, who scored eight points during the Kings 10-0 run to cut their deficit to to two points.
After a steal by Toney Douglas, the Kings went on a fast break for an attempt to tie the game, but Thompson picked up his fifth personal foul on a charge that cut the Kings momentum for the rest of the game.
The Kings never recovered and trailed by as much as 15 points ending with a 113-102 loss in Los Angeles.
Isaiah Thomas had team-highs of 26 points and six assists for the Kings and Patrick Patterson finished with 22 points, his highest point total since his trade to Sacramento. Marcus Thornton added 15 points.
Dwight Howard's defense starred late in the game for the Lakers. He notched a double-double in the first half, finishing with 12 points and game-highs of 17 rebounds and five blocks.
Antawn Jamison scored a game-high 27 points off the bench, Steve Nash had 19 points and a game-high 12 assists and Metta World Peace finished with 22 points.
The Kings will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, March 19 at 7 p.m. PST.
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