Lakers vs. Kings Preview: Back-to-back at it at home

After demolishing the Memphis Grizzlies and winning their third straight game in a row, the Lakers are back at it on their home floor against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. This will mark their second back-to-back game of the season with 13 more still in store.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings

When: 7 p.m. PT, Wednesday, Nov. 15

Where: Crypto.com Arena

Watch: ESPN, Spectrum Sportsnet

The last time the Lakers faced the Kings, it ended in a frustrating loss in overtime. It was the Lakers’ third game of the season and they left Sacramento with a 1-2 record. Fast forward two weeks later, Los Angeles now finds themselves with an above .500 (6-5) record and will once again take on Sacramento, though this time on the second night of a back-to-back.

There’s no sugarcoating the fact that this game is going to be tougher than the one against the Grizzlies. The Kings just got De’Aaron Fox back and are going to enter Wednesday’s game with a three-game winning streak as well. Their last two victories were against a really good Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers team. The Kings overwhelmed both with their superb offense.

That’s why, just like in their last matchup, the biggest question for the Lakers in this one is whether or not they can keep up with the Kings’ offense. They were able to do so last time thanks to multiple contributions from across the board — particularly from Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Taurean Prince and Rui Hachimura. But still, they couldn’t hold off Fox, who had 37 points that night, and the clutch performances of Malik Monk and Keegan Murray.

It’ll be nice if the Lakers carry on their performance against the Grizzlies. For the first time this season, they walked into halftime with not just the lead but a 23-point one. They shot a remarkable 62.9% — tying a franchise record in the process — from the three-point line and out-rebounded their opponent by 22. They played with a certain kind of energy on Wednesday night that hasn’t really been visible for the most part of the season.

Hopefully, this is something that carries on moving forward.

The bottom line is if the Lakers perform the way they did on Tuesday night against the Kings, they have a good chance of winning their fourth straight game. It’s going to be tough to replicate that energy versus a young team and on the second night of a back-to-back but if they do, that would result in a huge character-building win.

Let’s see if this Lakers team has what it takes to rise up to the challenge and come out with another victory at home on Wednesday.

Notes and Updates:

• Since the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies by 27 points while the Utah Jazz dominated the Portland Trail Blazers by 16 points, L.A. now leads West Group A in the In-Season Tournament standings.
• The Lakers haven’t released an injury report for this one but expect Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis), Gabe Vincent (knee) and Jalen Hood-Schifino (right patella contusion) to be out. Given that LeBron James (left half contusion) was a game-time decision on Tuesday, his status is worth monitoring for this one as well.
• As for the Kings, Alex Len (right high ankle sprain), Trey Lyles (left calf strain), Jalen Slawson (G-League two-way), Johnson Ford (G-League two-way) and Colby Jones (G-League two-way) are listed as out.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani