Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves power LeBron-less Lakers past Kings

The hit was going to come, the Lakers and JJ Redick sure of it.

Sacramento had been thrown into complete chaos, the Lakers taking two straight from the Kings in their building last week — links in the chain of events that led to the team firing coach Mike Brown on his way to board the flight for L.A.

Beating the Kings for the fourth time this season already was going to be hard; a shakeup like a coaching change was sure to have Sacramento flying around the court like the turbo button was stuck.

The Lakers would have to respond, meet force with force and speed with speed — and do it without LeBron James, who was home sick.

Read more: The Lakers are coming home and could be getting healthier on multiple fronts

But just like they found a way on Christmas with Anthony Davis out because of an ankle injury, the Lakers did it again Saturday in a 132-122 win, spoiling former Laker (and rival) Doug Christie’s first game as interim Kings coach.

“I think it is 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 Christmas, orchestrated the offense with James out, scoring 26 and dishing out a career-high 16 assists. Davis, back on the floor after playing only seven minutes Wednesday, dominated his matchup with Domantas Sabonis, scoring 36 (on only 16 shots) to go with 15 rebounds and eight assists. And Rui Hachimura needed only 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).

“Playing together, having great offense, guys are flying around, cutting hard, screening hard, doing what we’re supposed to be doing,” Davis said. “The ball was poppin’. … The offense was good, cleaned up some things in the first quarter and 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, arriving and turning 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, making the winning shot for Lakers on Christmas holds special meaning

“Just our guys’ willingness to pass,” Redick said. “It was a big emphasis in our meeting today. It’s been a big emphasis for the last seven to 10 days. It can be a simple game with some complex ideas, but we want to run, we want to pass and we want to screen. That’s really what we try 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 because of a sprained ankle, is set to return Tuesday against first-place Cleveland.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.