Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves drive the LeBron-less Lakers past the Kings

It was supposed to come here Lakers and JJ Redick sure of it.

Sacramento had been thrown into complete chaos and the Lakers took two straight from the Kings in their building last week – part of the chain of events that led to team firing coach Mike Brown on the way to board the plane to LA

It would already be difficult to beat the Kings for the fourth time this season; a jolt like a coaching change was sure to have Sacramento flying around the field like the turbo button was stuck.

The Lakers would have to respond, meet power with power and speed with speed — and do without LeBron Jamesthere was sick at home.

Read more: The Lakers come home and can get healthier on several fronts

But just as they found their way to Christmas with Anthony Davis out with an ankle injury, the Lakers did it again Saturday in one 132-122 winspoiling former Laker (and rival) Doug Christie’s first game as interim Kings coach.

“I think it’s growth,” Austin Reaves said of the Lakers’ energy. “You can see the growth throughout our group.”

Reaves, who hit the winning shot against the Golden State Warriors on Christmasorchestrated the offense with James out, scoring 26 and dishing out a career-high 16 assists. Davis, back on the floor after playing just seven minutes Wednesday, dominated his matchup with Domantas Sabonis, scoring 36 (on just 16 shots) to go with 15 rebounds and eight assists. And Rui Hachimura needed just 11 shots to score 21 points while giving the Lakers the kind of physicality and activity on the wing they need on both ends of the court.

Sabonis scored 14 points before fouling out in 26 minutes. De’Aaron Fox had 29 points and 12 assists and DeMar DeRozan finished with 25 points for the Kings (13-19).

“When they play together, have a great offense, fly guys around, cut hard, screen hard, do what we need to do,” Davis said. “The ball bounced. … The offense was good, cleaned up some things in the first quarter and the guys were making shots and that helps with the assists. We were getting to the line. We were just playing for each other.”

The Lakers (18-13) led by as many as 20 after a dominant third quarter in which they outscored the Kings 42-24 — the Lakers’ defense, responding to a scolding from Davis, arrived and turned the game into a blowout. Sacramento closed in the fourth, but the Lakers hit enough big shots and made enough defensive plays to keep things from getting too tight.

The Lakers’ 59.7% shooting from the field and their 53.8% three-point shooting were season highs. Their 33 assists tied a season high.

Read more: For Austin Reaves, beating the Lakers on Christmas has a special meaning

“Just the will of our guys to pass,” Redick said. “That was a big emphasis in our meeting today. It’s been a big emphasis for the last seven to 10 days. It might be a simple game with some complex ideas, but we’re going to run, we’re going to pass and we’re going to screen. That’s really what we’re trying to emphasize.”

In addition to the Lakers having no real concern about James and his illness, more help is coming. Jaxson Hayes, who has missed the last 14 games with a sprained ankle, will return Tuesday against first-place Cleveland.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.