01/30/2026, 3:05 AM

Inefficient in bench role

LaVine was cleared to return Thursday from a two-game absence due to lower-back soreness. He ended up finishing as the Kings' third-leading scorer behind Dennis Schroder (27 points) and DeMar DeRozan (25 points), though LaVine connected on just 31.3 percent of his field-goal attempts during the loss. The Kings play the Celtics on Friday, so it's possible that DeRozan is rested for the second leg of the back-to-back set.

01/30/2026, 3:00 AM

Dishes eight dimes vs. Sixers

Coming off a zero-assist game against the Knicks on Tuesday, DeRozan was able to get his teammates more involved with a team-high eight dimes while finishing second on the team in scoring behind Dennis Schroder (27 points). Since the start of the new year, DeRozan has averaged 20.8 points, 4.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals over 33.8 minutes per game.

01/30/2026, 2:56 AM

Season-high 27 points in spot start

Schroder got the start Thursday in the absence of Russell Westbrook (foot), and the former responded by recording a season high in points. It was Schroder's eighth 20-plus point performance of the season, and he could remain in the starting lineup for the second leg of the Kings' back-to-back set Friday against the Celtics if Westbrook is not cleared to play. Schroder has averaged 16.6 points, 4.0 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 threes over 26.0 minutes per game over his last five outings.