LOS ANGELES — After a quiet-by-his-standards first two games of the 2024-25 season, LeBron James was due for a vintage high-level performance.
He delivered that in the Lakers’ 131-127 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, going on a fourth-quarter scoring flurry that flipped the game in the Lakers’ favor, giving them their third consecutive win.
With the Lakers trailing 94-87 going into the fourth, James, who scored 16 points in the game’s first three quarters, scored 16 points in the final period’s first four minutes as part of the Lakers opening the quarter with 21 unanswered points.
James, at 39 years old and in his 22nd NBA season, finished with his first triple-double of the season and 113th of his career: 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
Anthony Davis picked up where James left off, scoring 14 of his 31 points in the fourth to go with nine rebounds and two assists.
Davis has scored at least 30 points in three straight games to start the season.
James and Davis combined for 30 of the Lakers’ 44 fourth-quarter points, making all 11 of the shots they combined to take.
After rookie wing Dalton Knecht (10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in 20 minutes) opened the quarter with a 3-pointer, James started his personal run by hitting a catch-and-3 shoot in De’Aaron Fox’s face to reduce the Lakers’ deficit to 94-93 early in the fourth.
What followed: a pull-up 2 to put the Lakers up; an and-1 layup; a 28-foot catch-and-shoot 3; assisting Jaxson Hayes on a dunk; a 30-foot pull-up 3 in transition; and a cutting for an up-and-under layup.
All in four minutes, putting the Lakers up 108-94 after entering the fourth down seven.
But in the game’s most precarious moments, it was James’ work as a facilitator that got the Lakers over the hump.
After the Kings came back to reduce their deficit to 125-123 with less than 56 seconds left, the Lakers went to the James-Davis two-man game, with the star duo running a pick-and-pop for a Davis 3-pointer to seal their victory.
Saturday was the Lakers’ first win over the Kings since Jan. 7, 2023, after losing the previous five matchups.
All five Lakers starters scored in double figures. Rui Hachimura continued his strong start of the season, recording 18 points and nine rebounds in 37 minutes. Austin Reaves had 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists and D’Angelo Russell added 16 points, five assists and four rebounds.
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Domantas Sabonis led the Kings with a 29-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. Fox finished with a 28-point, 10-assist double-double. DeMar DeRozan, whom the Kings acquired from the Chicago Bulls in an offseason sign-and-trade, scored 23 points.
The Lakers (3-0) will start a five-game road trip Monday against the Phoenix Suns.