The Los Angeles Lakers continued their poor run of form last night at the Staples Center, as they failed to produce against the Sacramento Kings. Kobe Bryant's team have now lost four consecutive games and are still in search for their tenth win of the season. The Kings were always the favorites going into the game, with the Lakers having won just one of eight against opponents from the same division. Not only this but the Kings beat the Lakers less than a fortnight ago, and had won their last five games against Byron Scott's side.

Boogie Leads The Way For Sacramento

Although the home team put up a valiant effort, it was never quite enough, with star man DeMarcus Cousins scoring 36, 18 more points than any Lakers player. He was helped on his way by Rajon Rondo, who sunk an impressive double double of 11 points and 17 assists. Willie Cauley-Stein also hit 12 points and 10 rebounds, with Rudy Gay scoring six from nine to rack up 16. Off the bench point guard Darren Collison was the only one to hit double figures with 10, but Israeli small forward Omri Casspi grabbed nine rebounds.

Lakers Struggle All Night

The Lakers' stats were a lot less impressive, with their best scorer being substitute Brandon Bass, who shot 18 points from 30 minutes of play. From their starters, both Kobe Bryant and Louis Williams managed 15, with the former also adding 3 assists. Jordan Clarkson also managed 14, and Julius Randle achieved a team-high 12 rebounds. Teenager D'Angelo Russell scored 14 off the bench.

The Los Angeles side's shooting percentages for the game were what ultimately cost them a shot at victory; the Lakers attempted one more field goal than their opponents in purple but converted a woeful 35.6 percent, as well as scoring just six of their 20 shots from beyond the arc. The Kings, who sit eighth in the Western Conference, shot a much better 48.3 percent, as well as scoring nearly a third of their three-pointers.

Kings With The Slight Edge At The Break

After tip-off, the game started fairly evenly, with the points shared across the board, however the Kings soon found their stride, and bar an 18-foot two pointer by Brandon Bass and two free throws from D'Angelo Russell, ended the quarter strong, with a double figures lead. The best showing off the half was no-doubt Rajon Rondo's dunk.

The ever-inconsistent LA Lakers enjoyed their best play during the second, sinking a game-high 34 points for the quarter to help trim that double digit lead. Kobe Bryant hit 10 of his eventual 15 in the quarter, as well as setting up Russell for his three-pointer. Sacramento weren't poor by any means though, still scoring an impressive 29 points, with Rajon Rondo pulling the strings with five assists. Cousins shot 13 for the quarter, leaving the scores 57-52.

Sacramento Imposes Their Will Against Hopeless Lakers

The Kings came out of the blocks no different, again consistently scoring, as they once again sunk 29 for the third. The Lakers did enjoy some good basketball, scoring 25 for the quarter, but were never a match for the on-fire Sacramento. Bryant scored just two points, both from free throws, and Jordan Clarkson scored an impressive three shots in a row. But another six points for center DeMarcus Cousins and another six assists for Rondo ensured the Kings went into the fourth strong, as they retained a nine point lead.

Los Angeles withered away in the final, as they shot just 16 for the entire quarter, whereas the Kings shot 26. Cousins, who has scored 29 points in eight of his last nine games, scored 10 points as Kobe Bryant failed to convert once. The Kings may have enjoyed their lowest scoring quarter, but saw Darren Collison sink a three-pointer and an impressive lay-up within 30 seconds, both off the back of Rudy Gay assists. DeMarcus Cousins' guided the side to an eventual 112-93 victory, taking it by 19 points to continue their stunning January run.

Up Next

Sacramento Kings: 01/21/16 at Atlanta Hawks

Los Angeles Lakers: 01/23/16 at San Antonio Spurs