The Los Angeles Lakers have been generating noise as of late as potentially the most dangerous lower-seeded playoff team in NBA history. After all, they were coming off a rousing comeback victory against in-city rival Los Angeles Clippers, put up a competitive fight against reigning champion Denver Nuggets, and then dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder. It looked like LeBron James and the Lakers were figuring out how to put it all together.

Alas, the Lakers could not continue their rapid ascent. On Wednesday night, the Purple and Gold were stopped in their tracks by a Sacramento Kings team that had its way all night long. With De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis both playing at a high level, the Lakers suffered a 130-120 defeat, knocking them back down to 10th in the Western Conference standings after the Golden State Warriors won.

It's always infuriating when old habits re-emerge, which cause all too familiar problems to halt the progress that has been made. For Lakers guard Austin Reaves, he was unable to bottle up his annoyance at how the team performed against the Kings on Wednesday night.

“Super frustrating. You should feel some type of way (individually and as a team),” Reaves said, per Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet.

Indeed, the Lakers' defensive performance was very much a source of frustration on Wednesday night. They allowed the Kings to get whatever they wanted on offense, with De'Aaron Fox putting his foot down and asserting his dominance. The Lakers' point of attack defense was non-existent, which led to Fox's explosion for 44 points.

But beyond Fox's stellar display, the Kings were also the more aggressive team, knifing into the paint at will. Sacramento managed to score 76 points in the paint compared to the Lakers' 50, and that was with Anthony Davis protecting the rim. This means that the sheer frequency with which the Lakers allowed dribble penetration was disheartening.

Now, Austin Reaves and the Lakers have an even greater reason to be frustrated after LeBron James exited the game early. James contends that he's alright, which is good news as the Purple and Gold cannot afford to lose the team's best player at this crucial juncture of the season.