Kings-Lakers Preview: A Must-Win Game To Avoid Play-In. Plus Gabe Vincent Back in March?

The Lakers may not have been playing truly inspired basketball, the kind that gets fans and media fired up and primed for the postseason, but they have, save that putrid stretch following the In-Season Tournament, won more than they've lost. Now, coming off a very impressive home win over the conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers face another test against a playoff-caliber team. But this time, the Sacramento Kings come in weaker than LA, having been in a weeks long semi-slump that has dropped them into the back half of the playoff bracket, only 1.5 games ahead of the Lakers. This is a big opportunity for the Lakers to gain ground on a vulnerable squad, and give themselves a shot to hold the tiebreaker over the Kings, which could obviously come in handy by the end of the year. Lose, and that goes out the window (Sacramento won the first two games of the season series, with both games coming very early in the year). So what do the Lakers need to watch out for? Start with three point shooting. The Kings take a ton of them, but some of their best shooters (De'Aaron Fox, Keegan Murray) are in big slumps right now. They need to keep it that way. In strength vs. weakness, the Kings both tend to put teams on the line a lot, and don't get there much themselves. That plays into strengths on both sides for LA they will certainly look to exploit. But fundamentally, we're going to spend a lot of time talking about Domantas Sabonis vs. Anthony Davis, because the Lakers need the OKC version of AD, as opposed to the Denver edition. But Sabonis is a matchup much closer to Nikola Jokic than Chet Holmgren. Finally... some good news about Gabe Vincent! He might be back faster than some expected. So what will the Lakers do with him once he returns? HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: Huge huge huge huge game against Sacramento tonight at the Crypt. AD needs to be big, again. SEGMENT 2: What to watch for. How can the Lakers exploit Sacramento's weaknesses? SEGMENT 3: What happens when Vincent returns? Because it's looking like he might, via Shams! Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Nissan Our friends at Nissan have a lineup of SUV’s with the capabilities to take your adventure to the next level. Take the Nissan Rogue, Nissan Pathfinder, or Nissan Armada and go find your next big adventure. Shop NissanUSA.com. LinkedInLinked In Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Terms and conditions apply. eBay Motors For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. BetterHelp This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month. PrizePicks Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100! Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. FanDuel Get buckets with your first bet on FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – if your bet wins! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)