The Sacramento Kings ended Wednesday night's game on an 8-3 run in the final minute to beat the Lakers 116-111, handing L.A. its third loss in the past week by a combined 10 points.
Afterward, LeBron James said the Lakers have "zero room for error," given the injuries the team is dealing with.
"We are limited with bodies," James said. "So until some of our big guys or some of our key guys get back ... we got to continue to play how we've played the last couple games.
James led L.A. with 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds and was on the floor more than any other Laker -- logging 36 minutes, 30 seconds of playing time.
Coach Darvin Ham had said earlier in the month, "I just want to ride [James]" for as many minutes as is necessary to secure the win after the 38-year-old played 40 minutes at the Charlotte Hornets
but the Lakers coach changed his tune when considering James' workload against the Kings.
"I feel bad about that," Ham said. "He's playing at an amazing level, but we can't run him in the ground.
That was one of my main goals coming into the season. Thirty-six and a half [minutes] the other night. We just have to manage him and have clarity in terms of scaling back his minutes some."
The minutes might have caught up to James in the fourth quarter against the Kings, as he went 1-for-7 in the closing frame, playing all but 25 seconds of it.
The Lakers have been without All-Star big man Anthony Davis for more than a month because of a right foot injury
also await the returns of Lonnie Walker IV (knee) and Austin Reaves (hamstring) from the injured list.
L.A. has remained competitive without the three key rotation players but has struggled to close out wins as of late.