Monk’s Shooting Lifts Kings Past Lakers Despite 42-Point Night from Dončić.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Malik Monk delivered a sharp shooting performance Monday night, knocking down seven 3-pointers and scoring 26 points as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 124–112. DeMar DeRozan led all scorers for Sacramento with 32 points and added six assists, while Russell Westbrook contributed 22 points and seven assists against his former team. The Kings, now 10–30, earned their second consecutive victory after a seven-game losing streak and recorded their first home win over the Lakers since March 13, 2024. Los Angeles was paced by Luka Dončić, who finished with 42 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists in the loss. It marked his seventh 40-point performance of the season, further cementing his status as the NBA’s leading scorer. LeBron James added 22 points but struggled from long range, missing all five of his 3-point attempts.

DeAndre Ayton scored 13 points to reach the 7,000-point milestone for his career, while Jaxson Hayes chipped in 12 for the Lakers, who fell to 23–11 and have now dropped two straight games. The Lakers started strong but were unable to slow Sacramento’s momentum, as the Kings seized control midway through the first quarter and never relinquished the lead. Monk’s fifth 3-pointer sparked a second-quarter surge that helped Sacramento build a 57–41 advantage late in the half.

James and Dončić kept Los Angeles competitive early, combining for 38 of the team’s 54 first-half points. However, Sacramento opened the third quarter with a 19–6 run to extend the lead to 20 points. The Lakers briefly cut the deficit to seven early in the fourth quarter, but another timely 3-pointer from Monk halted the rally and allowed the Kings to pull away for good.

Sacramento snapped a two-game season series losing streak against Los Angeles and will look to build momentum moving forward.