Lakers Edge Kings in Low-Scoring Preseason Affair as Under Cashes Easy

The Lakers squeaked past Sacramento 114-110 in a preseason slog that played out exactly as advertised—short rotations, deep benches, and offense that looked like it was running through mud. DarkHorse nailed the under 228.5, and frankly, it was never in doubt. These two teams combined for 224 points in a game that featured more camp bodies than a YMCA pickup run.

With both squads sitting key rotation pieces, this had all the offensive firepower of a middle school scrimmage. The Lakers somehow found enough to pull away late despite trotting out lineups that won't see regular-season minutes, while Sacramento's skeleton crew couldn't manufacture enough scoring punch when it mattered. Neither team cracked 115 points—shocking absolutely no one who understood the personnel situation going in.

Preseason basketball is already a wasteland of half-speed possessions and experimental lineups, but when you strip both rosters down to third-stringers and G-League hopefuls, you get exactly this: a grinder that stayed comfortably under the total from opening tip to final buzzer. The under backers could've gone to bed at halftime. Lakers get a meaningless W, but the real winner here was anyone who faded the inflated total and trusted the math over the hype.