NBA: Kings roll to win over Lakers behind De’Aaron Fox’s 44 points

De’Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings takes a shot against Taurean Prince #12 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half of an NBA game at Crypto.com Arena on March 06, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.  Ronald Martinez/Getty Images/AFP

LOS ANGELES— De’Aaron Fox tied his career high with 44 points, Malik Monk added 26 and the Sacramento Kings bounced back with a 130-120 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA.

It was Fox’s seventh game this season with at least 40 points, fourth-most in the NBA.

Domantas Sabonis recorded his fourth triple-double in seven games with 16 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists. He’s the sixth player in NBA history with at least 22 triple-doubles in a season.

READ: NBA: Coby White, Bulls rally from 22 down to stun Kings

LeBron James led the Lakers with 31 points and 13 assists, while Rui Hachimura scored 29. Anthony Davis had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Sacramento came in having dropped three of its last four, including a 113-109 defeat against Chicago on Monday after it had a 22-point lead late in the third quarter.

WHAT A NIGHT FOR DE'AARON FOX 🔥

🦊 44 PTS (ties career high)
🦊 19-31 FGM (61.3%)
🦊 Kings road W pic.twitter.com/NEnPDuObeH

— NBA (@NBA) March 7, 2024

The Kings appeared early as if Monday’s loss was still bothering them as they fell behind by 19 points in the first quarter. But Sacramento dominated the second quarter, outscoring LA 44-20 to take a 72-57 advantage at halftime.

A 3-pointer by D’Angelo Russell gave the Lakers a 37-18 advantage with 1:52 remaining in the first quarter before the Kings started to rally back.

READ: NBA: Nuggets use big run to beat Kings

Kings ended the opening 12 minutes with 10 straight points. They trailed 48-40 before closing the half on a 32-9 run.

The Kings started their spurt with 10 straight points. Mitchell’s 3-pointer tied it at 48 midway through the quarter before a dunk by Trey Lyles put them on top.

Sacramento was 13 of 14 from the field over the final 7:32 of the first half, including six 3-pointers. Mitchell and Fox scored nine points apiece and Monk added seven.

The Kings’ largest lead was 22 points late in the third quarter before the Lakers closed the stanza on a 15-5 run.

The Lakers, though, were never able to get it into single digits.

NEXT SCHEDULE

Kings: Host San Antonio on Thursday.

Lakers: Host Milwaukee on Friday.