Lakers vs. Kings: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Spread Info and More

After choking away a late-fourth quarter lead against the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers will look to rebound against the Sacramento Kings in their season and home opener. 

The debut of Jimmer Fredette will be the key storyline for the game, but the development of the Kings' other young talent such as Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and Marcus Thornton will not be ignored.  It will also be interesting to see how key additions J.J. Hickson, John Salmons and Chuck Hayes play alongside their new teammates.

For the Lakers, it will be important to not to suffer another letdown.  Playing a three straight days after two losses would be difficult on an older team like the Lakers’ morale.  And with Dwight Howard rumors always floating around, another loss could cause fans to call for the head of Pau Gasol.

Where: Power Balance Pavilion, Sacramento, CA

When: Monday, Dec. 26 at 10:00 p.m. EST

Watch: NBA TV

Listen: 710, ESPN LA

Betting Line: Lakers -3, according to ESPN.com.

Key Injuries

Kobe Bryant’s torn wrist ligament will either end up being the excuse or the trial that he overcame on Monday night.  He scored 28 points and dished out six dimes on Christmas day, but eight turnovers put a damper on his solid production.

What’s At Stake?

This early in the season, not much is at stake for the Kings.  Eventually, they’ll have to win, as staying in the city of Sacramento is on the line, but they’re young and their new core needs some time to gel.

Two straight losses for Los Angeles wouldn’t be devastating without Andrew Bynum in the lineup, but it would cause much of Laker Nation to press the panic button already.  Magic Johnson believes they should trade Bynum and Gasol for Howard, and rumors will continue to swirl with losses.

What They’re Saying

Even though they lost a heartbreaker, Mike Brown’s new defensive scheme impressed Kobe greatly as he said after the game (via ESPN): “I saw a lot of positive things.  Defensively, we were terrific.  We did a good job, and we're just going to get better.  We're going to be very good defensively.”

Second-year big man DeMarcus Cousins will be a major X-factor this season for the Kings, and he admitted going into the week that he’s much more composed going into this season, saying:

"

I know what to expect now, so it's not as much pressure.  Last year, I came in with a lot of pressure.  A lot of people were looking for me to save the team and this and that.  But I'm a lot more relaxed now and having fun, and we're going to play ball and win.

"

Lakers Player to Watch

Steve Blake hit a pair of threes, scoring a total of 12 points off the bench for the Lakers yesterday.  With a noted weakness at the point guard position, a lack of depth and minimal proven outside shooting ability, if Blake can continue to play at a high level, it will do wonders for this team.

Kings Player to Watch

Who else?  All eyes will be on Jimmer in his first NBA game.  He put up totals of 21 and 12 points in Sacramento’s two preseason games, so don’t bet against Fredette exploding for 20-plus with Derek Fisher defending him.

Key Matchup

Pau Gasol vs. DeMarcus Cousins

Pau isn’t known for being the toughest player in the league, but he’ll have to hold his ground against the 21-year old Cousins, who is 20 pounds heavier than him.  If the Spaniard isn’t aggressive and disappears at the offensive end, the Lakers will struggle to come away with the victory.

Prediction

Will Kobe really let Los Angeles lose two-straight games under these circumstances?  I doubt it.  Sure, it’s just the second game of the season, but nothing ignites the drama in Hollywood more than back-to-back losses.

Three out of Sacramento’s five starters weren’t with the team last year: Jimmer, Salmons and Chuck Hayes.  The Kings have a talented team on paper, but they’ll need time to build chemistry before they knock off the Lakers who are still a powerhouse.  The shortened offseason won’t help the Kings' cause, either, in developing that chemistry.

Lakers 92-86

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer. Follow him on Twitter.