Lakers vs. Kings Game Preview: California love is in the air

The Los Angeles Lakers had the chance to enjoy the weekend back home in Los Angeles, tending to the wounds left behind after a five-game road trip where they went a merciful 2-3.

They narrowly survived a fourth-quarter scare in Milwaukee to end their Grammy’s road trip, finally back in STAPLES Center for the first time since Jan. 31. That’s not a bad Valentine’s Day gift to enjoy.

There’s always plenty of love between DeMarcus Cousins and Julius Randle as the Kentucky big men romp through the paint together. That matchup typically is worth the price of admission alone. Limiting Cousins will be the challenge, and it will interesting to see how the frontcourt of Tarik Black and Ivica Zubac holds up. Timofey Mozgov has been a no-go for several contests, but Cousins is a unique challenge where Mozzy could be useful.

They were locked in from the perimeter when we last saw them, shooting a combined 15-of-30 from deep against the Bucks. D’Angelo Russell had another nice stretch to rest his knee, especially after playing limited minutes through most of the road trip.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen our love, the hardwood and swish of the nets, so enjoy the little Valentine’s Day with hoops if you’re tuning in. It should be competitive, and Cousins remains one of my personal favorite individual players to watch.

Time: 7:30 p.m. PT

TV: Spectrum SportsNet, NBA TV