Suddenly hot

The 4-6 Sacramento Kings are having a fun November so far. In five games this month, they have only lost one, and that defeat was a hard-fought 124-120, battle against the Toronto Raptors’ top-tier defense.

This past Thursday, the Kings also had a good showing in their first test playing without rising point guard, De’Aron Fox, who’s out 3-4 weeks because of an ankle injury. They dominated the Portland Trail Blazers in the second half and earned a 107-99 win. Fox’s backcourt partner, Buddy Hield, and the Kings’ key man off the bench, Bojan Bogdanovic led the charge, as the two combined for 45 points.

With Fox out, the Kings are sure to turn more to Hield and Bogdanovic for more offense. Both appear to have shaken off their slow starts and are playing well as of late. They are good shooters who will consistently have the opportunities to score, so they should be able to answer the call.

Hield has scored 20 or more points in his last four games and Bogdanovic is right behind him with three straight 20-plus point games.

Building it back up

After an ugly performance during Monday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, the Los Angeles Lakers have won consecutive games, both of which had them scoring 120 or more points and shooting over 53% from the floor, while also averaging 35 assists. They are now 9-2 on the season, sitting atop the Western Conference.

In the recent win, they thrashed the Golden State Warriors, 120-94. LeBron James logged game-highs 23 points and 12 assists while his All-Star center, Anthony Davis, rested a minor rib and shoulder injury – Davis is expected to return against the Kings.

As the Lakers move forward, look for Kyle Kuzma, the hailed third scorer behind James and Davis, to try establishing more rhythm. He’s having a quiet start to the season due to being fresh off an ankle injury, but has now chipped in 23 and 22 points in back-to-back outings.

The Lakers are 5-1 at home and have held their visitors to only 39.3%-shooting this season.

PREDICTION:

LeBron’s looking good, AD will be back, and Kuzma is gaining steam. The Lakers should be able to win this one and spoil former head coach Luke Walton’s return to Staples Center.