Lakers Hit the Road for First Time Against Kings
Tonight, your Los Angeles Lakers (1-1) travel north to take on the Sacramento Kings (1-1) for the first road game of the season. Following their first win of the season against Minnesota, Los Angeles looks to build off of their complete performance behind a masterclass from Luka Doncic.
The Lakers travel to Sacramento for their FIRST road game of the season 👀 pic.twitter.com/S5HsweAcNc
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) October 26, 2025
The Kings have a revamped team than we’ve seen in the past, featuring players like Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Russell Westbrook. Nobody is picking them as a Western Conference favorite, but this is not a team you can look past.
The Lakers will have to travel to Sacramento with their A-game today. Let’s break down what they’ll need to accomplish to ensure a victory tonight.
Limit Turnovers
In the Lakers’ first game this season against Golden State, turnovers were brutal. They totaled 20 for the game and came out hot with nearly 10 in the first quarter alone. Against Minnesota, they limited their turnovers to just 12—a stark difference.
With players like Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, and Russell Westbrook, who can be athletic freaks up and down the court, Sacramento will look to run and capitalize on the Lakers’ mistakes. If the Lakers lose the turnover battle, it could be a long night.
Lakers Need Everyone Against Kings
In their win against Minnesota, the Lakers received help beyond the nuclear Luka Doncic performance. Reaves had 25, Hachimura had 23, Ayton had 15, and guys like Smart and Vanderbilt played lights out defensively.
Tonight will have to be a similar performance. With LeBron James out of the lineup until mid-November, the Lakers can’t just rely on outlandish Luka performances until he returns. It will take everybody. Especially now with Doncic also out for a week.
Promising Small-Ball Lineup
In the Lakers’ matchup against the Timberwolves, they deployed an interesting lineup that worked out quite well. They put out a five-man lineup of Doncic, Reaves, Smart, Hachimura, and Vanderbilt, and they put on a show.
Granted…this lineup only played 4 minutes on the court, and the team will now be without Luka. However, in those four minutes, that lineup posted an offensive rating of 142.9 and a defensive rating of 25.
While yes, those numbers are absurd and unsustainable, Los Angeles may have found a viable small-ball lineup to utilize over the course of the season. You eventually swap out Rui with LeBron, and it might be terrifying.
