Lakers vs. Kings recap: Los Angeles falls to Kings in Dwight Howard's debut

Despite having Dwight Howard make his debut, the Los Angeles Lakers dropped their sixth-straight preseason contest, 99-92 to the Sacramento Kings at the Staples Center on Sunday night.

After taking a 57-46 lead into halftime, the Lakers struggled in the second half. In the third quarter especially, Los Angeles was outscored 28-15 and could not fight back in the fourth quarter. The Lakers appeared to want this game badly and reinserted the starting lineup down the stretch in an attempt to make a run.

Howard posted a double-double in his first game in a Los Angeles uniform, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in 33 minutes. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with a game-high 21 points on 6-for-12 shooting. The shooting guard also pitched in five rebounds and three assists.

For the Kings, center DeMarcus Cousins recorded 16 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes of play. Sacramento capitalized on the Lakers lack of ball security and turned 22 Los Angeles turnovers into 24 points.

The Lakers will have two more chances to earn a win before the preseason concludes when they face the Los Angeles Clippers and Kings again this Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.