Three Takeaways From Kings' Blowout Loss to Lakers

The Sacramento Kings fell 125-101 to the Los Angeles Lakers on the second night of their back-to-back.

Dec 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schroder (17) drives past Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After an impressive win over the Dallas Mavericks yesterday, the Sacramento Kings couldn't keep up with the Los Angeles Lakers tonight, falling 125-101 to their Western Conference rival.

It was a night where everything looked easy for the Lakers, and everything was a struggle for the Kings on both ends of the court. The Lakers are a team that has size everywhere, and tonight was a reminder that the Kings are one of the smallest teams in the league.

Here's what we learned as the Kings drop to 8-24 on the season.

No Answer for LeBron, Luka

Dec 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) guard Nique Clifford (5) defend Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Kings had absolutely no answer for the Lakers superstars tonight, as Luka Dončić finished with a game-high 34 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block, while James had 24 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals on a hyper-efficient 11-of-13 from the field.

Just like this game was a reminder about the Kings lack of size, it's also a reminder that they don't have a true defensive stopper on the court right now. Dylan Cardwell has been great at protecting the rim, but there is no true wing defender on the team with Keegan Murray out due to injury.

The Kings have been using team defense to keep themselves in games lately, but that's hard to do against such talented scorers in Dončić and James.

Dylan Cardwell Continues to Impress

As previously mentioned, Cardwell has been making the most of his opportunity, and did so again tonight. The two-way rookie finished with 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals on 3-of-4 from the field. He brings a spark off the bench that the Kings haven't had in years, a true rim protector who can cover up mistakes for others and crash the glass.

Dylan Cardwell has blocked 13 shots over his past five games.

That's the most blocked shots over a five-game span by a Sacramento Kings rookie since Michael Stewart (13, April 1998). pic.twitter.com/3AglXQxR6p

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) December 28, 2025

What was interesting tonight was how often Cardwell and fellow rookie big Maxime Raynaud shared the floor. The two generally take turns at the center spot, but to help match up with the Lakers' size, Christie went to it more than we've seen so far this season. It will be an interesting trend to watch for going forward, especially with Raynaud playing the four more as Domantas Sabonis nears his return.

But Cardwell looks like a solid NBA player early in his career, which is a great find for an undrafted rookie The Kings will have to decide what to do with him at some point in the season, as he can only play 50 games on his two-way deal. Tonight was his 15th contest suiting up for the team, according to Basketball Reference, and the Kings have 50 games left in the season.

DeRozan Quietly Doing His Thing

While the Kings' offense struggled to get anything going tonight, DeMar DeRozan did his best to single-handedly keep the Kings in the game with 22 points and 5 assists. Just like he has all season, he just continues to do his thing on the court, which is score buckets at a high-level.

It's worth noting that DeRozan's name hasn't been brought up much in trade rumors or any drama around the team. He continues to be a professional who goes out and does exactly what he needs to do.

That should only help the Kings either trade him before the deadline or help build the culture and identity that Scott Perry and Christie are working so hard to build this year. Either way, DeRozan is proving that he's still one of the best scorers in the league, even if it isn't translating to wins for the Kings.