With Kobe Bryant sidelined due to a sprained ankle, the Los Angeles Lakers received key contributions from some less heralded players in a 113-102 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
Kings vs. Lakers final score: Los Angeles handles Sacramento without Kobe Bryant, 113-102
Antawn Jamison scored 27 points off the bench to help the Lakers beat the Kings despite not having the services of Kobe Bryant because of an ankle injury.
Antawn Jamison -- one of just two Lakers to play off the bench -- had 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 5-of-8 from three. Steve Blake also had a big game off the bench, pouring in 16 points and handing out eight assists. Metta World Peace chipped in 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting. The healthy Lakers stars also got in on the fun, with Steve Nash and Dwight Howard both notching double-doubles.
Los Angeles and Sacramento were tied at 56-56 after a very entertaining first half, but the Lakers took control of the game by outscoring the Kings 30-20 in the third quarter. Sacramento made things interesting early in the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run to cut a 12-point deficit to two, but Los Angeles answered with an 11-0 run of their own to put the game out of reach.
The victory coupled with the Houston Rockets' loss earlier in the night has the Lakers just a half-game behind the Rockets for the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
Isaiah Thomas led the Kings with 26 points and six assists. Recent acquisition Patrick Patterson had a big game up front starting in place of the injured DeMarcus Cousins, scoring 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting and also grabbing five rebounds.
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