James has 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in his return following a 20-game layoff with a high ankle sprain, but the Kings outscore them 32-18 in the fourth quarter for a 110-106 win.
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James might be stronger and heal faster than the common man, but after a 20-game layoff, some things will just take time. There was not quite enough in his legs to hit a game-winning 3-point attempt in the last seconds of a 110-106 loss to the short-handed Sacramento Kings, a disappointing return for James after the Lakers (36-27) showed how much they struggle without him at the helm. It turned out to be a continuation of the slide, their fifth loss in six games, as James scored 16 points, had eight rebounds and seven assists in a comeback that fell just shy of reassuring. With only nine games remaining in the regular season, there’s a lot of work for the defending champions to do. They are just a half-game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for fifth place in the Western Conference standings, with seventh-place Portland just 1½ games back. They were paced by 22 points from Anthony Davis, who added 11 rebounds in a somewhat hot-and-cold performance. But they couldn’t stop Sacramento, former Lakers coach Luke Walton, and seven Kings who scored in double figures. Sacramento outscored the Lakers 32-18 in the fourth quarter. Nothing came easy against a Kings team that gave up 154 points in its last appearance.
