Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings Live NBA Preseason Updates, Scores and Highlights

Luka was particularly scary in the first half on Thursday, knocking down long or contested triples and seemingly getting to the paint at will.

His efficiency (and composure) got away from him a bit after the break, but he still had 23 points on 16 field-goal attempts.

It was the preseason. And it was against the Kings. But the Lakers did indeed look pretty solid in a zone tonight.

If Kessler can control the glass, and a couple spots in the lineup are filled with athletes who can fly around the perimeter, a zone could be the best way to protect Luka and Reaves on defense.

The Kings reserves made it interesting in the fourth, but the Lakers ultimately did enough to secure the preseason victory on their home floor tonight.

Daeqwon Plowden (15 points in 11 minutes) did what he could, but it looks like the Lakers are going to hang on in this one.

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Kings 108, Lakers 114 -- 0:19.2 left in the fourth quarter

The Lakers stretched the lead to 19, but with Bronny James running the show, the offense has stalled.

And the Kings clearly aren't ready to quit.

Daeqwon Plowden has hit three threes in this quarter, and the rest of the Kings are playing with maximum effort.

They have a chance with a few minutes left.

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Kings 98, Lakers 104 -- 2:32 left in the fourth quarter

It remains to be seen who'll start with Luka, Reaves and Walker Kessler, but Sandro Mamukelashvili should certainly be in the mix.

His offensive skills could do a lot for L.A.'s second unit, but he'd also be a good outlet for Luka and Reaves' passing. He's an underrated passer himself.

Mamu had 19 points in 21 minutes tonight and made a real case to have one of the remaining two spots.

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Kings 87, Lakers 103 -- 4:36 left in the fourth quarter

As is often the case in the preseason, the energy has waxed and waned in this one, but several Lakers have made cases to be in the regular rotation.

Thiero's intensity on defense popped off the screen early in the game. Mamu's shooting and passing have been huge whenever he's out there. And LaRavia is getting in on the act, showing a knack for being in the right spots, cutting at the right times and hitting open shots.

LaRavia's up to 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the game.

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Kings 84, Lakers 98 -- 7:15 left in the fourth quarter

Energy was waning in the third quarter, particularly for the Lakers, but Sandro Mamukelashvili just had a huge sequence to turn things around.

First, he hit a pretty well defended three off the dribble. Then, he splashed another off a nice kickout from Bronny James, and the lead is suddenly back to 16.

After the peronal run, Mamu has 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the game.

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Kings 70, Lakers 86 -- 12:00 left in the fourth quarter

The Kings comeback is the product of energy, and no one's providing it more consistently than Precious Achiuwa.

After his last basket, he's up to 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

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Kings 65, Lakers 72 -- 3:22 left in the third quarter

At some point in the first half, it looked like the Lakers might take off in this one. The lead was pushing toward 20, Sacramento couldn't buy a bucket, and Luka was putting on a show.

But credit the Kings for taking multiple haymakers and staying in the game. They're now, clearly, the team playing with more energy, and they've made a game of this.

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Kings 64, Lakers 72 -- 4:39 left in the third quarter

Luka's been a little more viral tonight, but Reaves has had some beautiful playmaking possessions.

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Kings 52, Lakers 66 -- 7:19 left in the third quarter

Luka's been the primary scoring threat tonight. He will be in most games. And one thing that'll make that easier is the fact Austin Reaves can be the lead playmaker, as he's been tonight.

That adds a layer of unpredictability to a Lakers offense that could easily fall into the trap of being too heliocentric.

Tonight, they haven't been. And Reaves has a team-high eight assists.

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Kings 52, Lakers 64 -- 8:00 left in the third quarter

Luka Dončić dominated that first half without breaking much of a sweat. He put up 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 17 minutes.

Sandro Mamukelashvili, who had 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and added three assists, popped on the offensive end too. With his skill as a passer and finisher, it might be tough to keep him on the bench for long.

For the Kings, it was pretty tough sledding for everyone, especially incoming rookie Darius Acuff, who started 1-of-10 from the field. He eventually got it going, though, hitting three straight shots before the end of the half.

This surely won't be the last time we see some streaky play from him.

Emanuel Sharp is trying to infuse some life into the Kings, particularly on the defensive end, but Austin Reaves took advantage of his overzealousness here.

And the Lakers outside of Luka are finally starting to find an offensive rhythm.

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Kings 41, Lakers 53 -- 0:38.1 left in the first quarter

Obviously, it's not just the scoring with Luka. Most nights, you'll see at least one wild pass too.

This one, early in the second quarter, may have wound up on the career passing reel had Matisse Thybulle converted.

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Kings 27, Lakers 40 -- 5:46 left in the second quarter

Just look at the release on this one.

That shot brought Luka up to 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 10 minutes.

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Kings 25, Lakers 37 -- 7:17 left in the second quarter

Sandro Mamukelashvili was an underrated Sixth Man of the Year candidate last season, but Toronto Raptors players are always going to be at a bit of a disadvantage on the attention front.

Now that he's a Laker, expect Mamu's shooting and passing to get far more coverage.

And if he comes off the bench for this team, expect him to be a real Sixth Man of the Year candidate.

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Kings 25, Lakers 35 -- 7:37 left in the second quarter

The first quarter is in the books, and the two most notable players in the frame were definitely Thiero and Luka.

The former looks like he might be ready to log some minutes as a high-energy defender and finisher at the rim. And the latter looks, well, like Luka. He dropped 10 points in eight minutes in his first stint of the night.

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Kings 20, Lakers 21 -- 12:00 left in the second quarter

The list of players in NBA history who made scoring look easier than Luka Dončić is short. In fact, there may not be anyone on it.

His step-back is effortless. He's getting to wherever he wants to be on the floor. And one one of the only plays the defense thwarted him, he quickly found Jake LaRavia for a layup.

Luka has 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in eight minutes. And stretches like that are going to be routine this season.

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Kings 17, Lakers 21 -- 1:46 left in the first quarter

This is Darius Acuff's only bucket in the game so far. And that wouldn't matter much if he wasn't 1-of-6 from the field with two turnovers.

Of course, this is the preseason. He's a rookie. This is the time to have a rough stretch. But don't be surprised if his learning curve stretches well into the regular season.

Acuff's shot selection was always going to need some adjusting in the NBA. Figuring out the defensive end will be even tougher for him.

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Kings 16, Lakers 19 -- 2:47 left in the first quarter

Outside of Thiero (everywhere) and Luka (as a scorer), the Lakers aren't flashing a ton of energy early in the game.

It's obviously harder to get up for preseason action, but establishing a habit of playing hard early is a big deal.

As reserves start to work their way in, we'll see if L.A.'s energy increases a bit.

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Kings 10, Lakers 12 -- 5:11 left in the first quarter

Adou Thiero is all over the place early. He's poked live dribbles away from two different Kings. He's blocked a jumper. And he's caught an alley-oop in transition.

The Lakers will have more than enough one-on-one playmaking and possessions spoken for with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. Players logging minutes alongside them will have to make an impact with hustle plays.

Thiero is showing a willingness to do just that right now.

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Kings 8, Lakers 7 -- 7:25 left in the first quarter

This is "an abundance of caution" season, so you have to take just about every injury report with a grain of salt.

So, while the Lakers may have a lot of guys "out" tonight, (Trudell also reported that Ziaire Williams, Collin Sexton, Arthur Kaluma, Cameron Carr and Dalton Knecht will also miss tonight's game), that shouldn't be seen as some big red flag for this season.

The Lakers coaching staff is surely just ensuring something minor doesn't become major, while also taking the opportunity to experiment with lineups and give players a chance who might not otherwise get one.

This obviously isn't the regular group. Walker Kessler is missing, and Adou Thiero feels like an awful long shot to be the fifth starter.

But Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves are the Lakers' two best players. They're going to log a ton of minutes together, and probably plenty with Quentin Grimes.

There isn't a ton to be gained from preseason basketball, but the more chemistry Dončić and Reaves can brew, the better.