SACRAMENTO, Calif. — DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points and the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers 124-112, pushing Los Angeles to a third straight loss Monday night. Malik Monk hit seven 3-pointers as Sacramento leaned on a rare long-range outburst to hold off a late Lakers rally, Jan. 12, 2026.
Sacramento hit 17 of 26 shots from 3-point range and shot 58.5% overall, according to a Reuters game recap. Monk posted season highs with 26 points and eight assists, while Russell Westbrook added 22 points and seven assists and Zach LaVine scored 19 for the Kings (10-30). DeMar DeRozan also had six assists as Sacramento won for the second straight time after a seven-game skid.
For the Lakers (23-14), Luka Doncic scored 42 points, but Los Angeles made just 8 of 36 3-pointers and has dropped seven of its last 11. In an ESPN report, the network said the Kings’ 65.4% clip from 3 was the worst rate the Lakers have allowed in a game with at least 25 attempts. “I think we played solid defense … Tonight was just one of those cases where you didn’t make shots,” LeBron James said. Coach JJ Redick added: “Had 50 potential assists tonight, we converted on 21 of those.”
DeMar DeRozan closes it after the Lakers cut it to eight
Los Angeles jumped in front 8-2, but Sacramento answered quickly and never trailed after the first quarter. The Kings pushed the lead to 16 late in the second, then opened the third with a burst that stretched the margin to 20, turning a close game into a chase.
The Lakers made it interesting in the final minutes, trimming the deficit to 112-104 with just over three minutes left. DeMar DeRozan responded with a jumper, and Sacramento followed with back-to-back 3-pointers — one from Monk and one from Precious Achiuwa — to pull away, per the AP game recap on ESPN. The victory snapped Sacramento’s six-game losing streak against the Lakers, even with Dennis Schroder out as he served a suspension.
James finished with 22 points but missed all five of his 3-point attempts. Deandre Ayton scored 13 points and Jaxson Hayes added 12 off the bench. The official NBA box score shows Sacramento won the 3-point battle by nine makes and outscored Los Angeles 34-29 in the third quarter.
What DeMar DeRozan has brought to Sacramento
For Sacramento, nights like this are why it chased DeMar DeRozan’s late-game shotmaking. The Kings landed him in a three-team sign-and-trade agreement in July 2024, as detailed in NBA.com’s free agency report, and he has continued to add to a résumé that includes joining the 25,000-point club in 2025, according to NBA.com.
The win also ended a long home drought in the series: Sacramento had not beaten the Lakers at Golden 1 Center since March 13, 2024, per ESPN’s archive of that matchup.
The Lakers continue a back-to-back against Atlanta Tuesday, while the Kings try to build on consecutive wins by keeping the ball moving and staying hot from deep. If DeMar DeRozan and Monk keep supplying timely answers, Sacramento’s season may still have room for a turn.
