2026-10-08 · 9:30 PM CT · Preseason
Sacramento Kings22-60
Los Angeles Lakers53-29ESPN standings data retrieved October 6, 2026. NBA comparisons use the completed 2025–26 regular season. Each upcoming fixture labels preseason or regular-season status.
Sacramento Kings2025–26 regular season
| Measure | Season average | League rank |
|---|---|---|
| STANDARD STATS | ||
| Points / game | 111.0 | 28 / 30 |
| Rebounds / game | 42.3 | 22 / 30 |
| Assists / game | 25.5 | 20 / 30 |
| Turnovers / game | 13.7 | 15 / 30 |
| Steals / game | 8.0 | 20 / 30 |
| Blocks / game | 4.5 | 20 / 30 |
| FG% | 46.7% | 18 / 30 |
| 3PT% | 34.0% | 29 / 30 |
| FT% | 77.2% | 21 / 30 |
| THE LAB MEASURES | ||
| eFG% | 52.5% | 29 / 30 |
| Turnover rate | 12.2% | 15 / 30 |
| Offensive rebound rate | — | — |
| Free-throw pressure | 0.256 | 19 / 30 |
Los Angeles Lakers2025–26 regular season
| Measure | Season average | League rank |
|---|---|---|
| STANDARD STATS | ||
| Points / game | 116.3 | 11 / 30 |
| Rebounds / game | 41.0 | 27 / 30 |
| Assists / game | 25.9 | 17 / 30 |
| Turnovers / game | 13.8 | 16 / 30 |
| Steals / game | 8.5 | 14 / 30 |
| Blocks / game | 4.3 | 22 / 30 |
| FG% | 50.2% | 1 / 30 |
| 3PT% | 35.9% | 14 / 30 |
| FT% | 76.3% | 26 / 30 |
| THE LAB MEASURES | ||
| eFG% | 57.3% | 2 / 30 |
| Turnover rate | 12.6% | 21 / 30 |
| Offensive rebound rate | — | — |
| Free-throw pressure | 0.320 | 1 / 30 |
ESPN team totals and game box scores checked October 6. NBA season averages and ranks use 2025–26; preseason game results are shown separately. Ranks are within the league, with ties sharing a rank; a lower turnover rate is better. Season offensive rebound rate needs opponent defensive-rebound totals, which this feed does not supply. A dash means unavailable. This game’s offensive rebound rate uses the opponent’s actual rebounds.
eFG% gives a made three its extra value. Turnover rate estimates the share of plays lost before a shot. Offensive rebound rate is the share of available offensive rebounds collected. Free-throw pressure is FTA/FGA. The calculations are (FGM + 0.5 × 3PM)/FGA; TOV/(FGA + 0.44 × FTA + TOV); OREB/(OREB + opponent DREB); and FTA/FGA.
This is preseason. Use the team numbers as background and watch how the new lineups play together. No spread or Lab win probability is published for this game.
Last season 22-60 | 14th in the West | Missed postseason
2025-26 efficiency 110.6 offense | 120.3 defense | -9.7 net per 100 possessions
Sacramento finished 14th at 22-60 and missed the postseason. Its minus-9.7 net rating came from a 26th-ranked offense and a 28th-ranked defense. Injuries mattered, with Domantas Sabonis playing only 19 games and Keegan Murray only 23. Even allowing for those absences, the roster did not establish a convincing plan for stopping anyone.
Scott Perry drafted Darius Acuff Jr., moved on from DeMar DeRozan and added Ben Simmons. Acuff gives the backcourt a young scorer and creator to develop, while Alex Karaban and Emanuel Sharp add more youth. Sabonis, Murray and Zach LaVine returning to better health would make the team more functional than the version that finished last season.
The unfinished business is roster direction. Sabonis needs shooting and reliable perimeter defense around him. Acuff needs room to learn with the ball. LaVine needs a defined scoring role, and Simmons adds another player opponents can leave unattended away from the rim. Those needs do not automatically fit together. Perry has begun a reset, but has not assembled an obvious defensive identity or resolved how the veterans support the new backcourt.
Projected finish is 15th in the West. Better availability can improve the record while leaving Sacramento last in a stronger conference. The forecast is driven by the defensive deficit and uncertain fit, rather than an assumption that Acuff cannot play. Management needs to make the development priorities clear before every lineup becomes a negotiation between rebuilding and preserving yesterday's investment.
Last season 53-29 | 4th in the West | Conference semifinals loss to Oklahoma City, 4-0
2025-26 efficiency 117.0 offense | 115.5 defense | +1.5 net per 100 possessions
The Lakers won 53 games, finished fourth and beat Houston before Oklahoma City swept them in the second round. Their plus-1.5 net rating was much less impressive than their record. That gap is a reason to examine the roster closely before assuming the same win total will repeat, especially now that LeBron James has left for Philadelphia.
Rob Pelinka rebuilt around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Walker Kessler supplies the clearest improvement, giving a 20th-ranked defense a stronger interior presence. Quentin Grimes and Matisse Thybulle add perimeter options, while Collin Sexton provides another scorer. Reaves returns after averaging 23.3 points, and the Lakers had productive minutes with the Doncic-Reaves pairing even when James was off the court.
The remaining hole is the forward rotation. Several newcomers can finish a play, but the team still needs size, reliable outside shooting and defensive judgment in the same lineup. Kessler cannot simultaneously protect the rim and repair every breakdown above it. With only 42 percent of last season's minutes returning, Pelinka has also purchased a substantial chemistry assignment for JJ Redick.
Projected finish is third in the West. Doncic's creation and improved rim protection support a strong regular-season floor. The projection credits the repair without pretending the Lakers have replaced every part of James' production. Their postseason ceiling depends on which forwards earn trust and whether the guards can protect Kessler from constant emergency work.
A matching published game video is not available in the verified archive yet.
