The fans in Los Angeles, especially those who root for the Lakers, are hoping that the Lakers can finally turn their fortunes around next season. After spending several straight seasons at the bottom of the Western Conference, the Lakers have high expectations for themselves for the 2017-2018 season.
They drafted Lonzo Ball as the second overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, hoping that he can become the leader of this team and the face of the franchise for many years to come. On Sunday night, the Lakers were hoping to finally get their first win of this preseason as they faced the Sacramento Kings.
Lakers take the win in a low-scoring affair
The game was played at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Coming into this matchup, the Lakers had lost three straight preseason games and were determined to finally get the win. They opened up the game with a 22-point first quarter and led 22-11 after the first period of the game. They played great defense in the first half as they held the Kings to just 29 points throughout the first two quarters. It was 41-29 for Los Angeles at halftime. Sacramento bounced back with a great third quarter and heading into the final 12 minutes of the game the score was 52-51 for the Lakers. It was a back-and-forth fourth quarter but the Lakers managed to take a 75-69 victory after outscoring the Kings 23-18 in the final quarter.
Los Angeles had four players in double-digit scoring in their win against the Kings, with Julius Randle leading the way with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Kyle Kuzma added 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Brook Lopez contributed with 12 points.
For the Kings, Zach Randolph led the way with 16 points and six rebounds.
Garrett Temple added 12 points and four rebounds for Sacramento.
Pelicans cruise to an easy victory over the Bulls
The Chicago Bulls and the new orleans Pelicans met on Sunday for their second matchup of this preseason. The Bulls started off strong, scoring 21 points in the first quarter as they held a 21-20 lead. The Pelicans answered in the second quarter as they regained the lead and were in front 49-44 at halftime.
Heading into the final quarter of the game, the score was 81-73 in favor of the away squad - the New Orleans Pelicans. They went on to routinely close out the game and increase their lead, as they celebrated a 108-95 victory.
Anthony Davis put on a special performance for the Pelicans, as he finished the game with 37 points and 15 rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins also had an outstanding game, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Jrue Holiday contributed with 19 points and five rebounds for New Orleans.
Denzel Valentine was the leading scorer for the Bulls on Sunday. He finished with 15 points and two rebounds, while Robin Lopez added 13 points and five assists. Nikola Mirotic contributed with 13 points and four rebounds for Chicago.
