The Lakers and JJ Redick were sure that the goal would come.

Sacramento was plunged into utter chaos when the Lakers dropped two straight games to the Kings at their building last week – links in the chain of events that led to the team firing coach Mike Brown en route to flying to LA

Beating the Kings for the fourth time this season would be difficult; An upheaval like a coaching change would certainly send Sacramento flying around the court like the turbo button was stuck.

The Lakers would have to react, meeting power with power and speed with speed – and without LeBron James, who was homesick.

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

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

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

Reaves, who scored the game-winning goal against the Golden State Warriors on Christmas, orchestrated the offense without James, scoring 26 points and providing 16 assists, the most of his career. Davis, who was back on the court after just seven minutes of play on Wednesday, dominated his match against Domantas Sabonis and scored 36 points (on just 16 shots), along 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 needed on both ends of the court.

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

“We play together, have a great offense, guys fly around, hit hard, screen hard and do what we’re supposed to do,” Davis said. “The ball cracked. … The offense was good, some things were sorted out in the first quarter and the guys made good shots and that helps with the assists. We got to the line. We only played for each other.”

The Lakers (18-13) led by as many as 20 points after a dominant third quarter in which they outscored the Kings 42-24 – the Lakers’ defense responded to a scolding from Davis, came in and turned the game into a bankruptcy. Sacramento tied it in the fourth, but the Lakers hit enough big shots and made enough defensive plays to keep it from getting too close.

The Lakers shot season highs at 59.7% from the field and 53.8% from three-pointers. Her 33 assists were a season high.

Read more: For Austin Reaves, scoring the winning goal for the Lakers on Christmas has a special meaning

“Just our guys’ willingness to pass,” Redick said. “That was a big focus of our meeting today. It’s been a big focus over the last seven to 10 days. It may be a simple game with some complex ideas, but we want to run, we want to pass and we want to shield. That’s what we really want to highlight.”

Aside from the Lakers not really being worried about James and his illness, more help is coming. Jaxson Hayes, who has missed the last 14 games with a sprained ankle, is expected to return Tuesday against first-place Cleveland.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.