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LeBron James posted his first triple-double of the season, including 16 points in the fourth quarter, as the Los Angeles Lakers improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2010-11 with a 131-127 defeat of the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.
James finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. All three marks were season highs for the 39-year-old in his 22nd season.
“Just when you think he’s slowing down, man, he continues to show the world why he’s the greatest,” Anthony Davis said of James’ performance. “To go on that stretch, he actually looked to the bench and was trying to come out the game. We told him, ‘You’re not coming out.’ He comes out and hits another 3. He never ceases to amaze any of us because we just know what he’s capable of.”
Bron on target. pic.twitter.com/COhGlvuJQa
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 27, 2024
After trailing the Lakers by as many as 15 points in the first half, Sacramento roared back and took a seven-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Then James took over.
“I guess a little bit of everything,” James said of what was working for him in the fourth quarter. “I caught a rhythm, had my outside shot going, got a couple ones in the paint as well. Got a backdoor from DLo (D’Angelo Russell) that worked well. So just trying to see what I had going to help us get us over the hump on this back-to-back.”
James scored his 16 fourth-quarter points over a two-minute and 59-second stretch. Entering the game, he had scored just 16 and 21 points, respectively, over Los Angeles’ first two wins.
Lakers coach JJ Redick called the experience of watching James in the fourth quarter “surreal.”
“What can you say?” Redick said. “We’ve all been very fortunate to watch his greatness for so long and the fact that he’s able to keep doing it, it’s just, it’s actually insane. It’s actually insane.”
Davis added 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds. He’s scored 30 or more points in all three games this season.
The last time the Lakers beat the Kings was on Jan. 7, 2023 — 658 days ago. They had lost five games in a row and eight of nine against Sacramento. At 3-0, this is the best start for the Lakers since the 2010-11 season, when they started 8-0.
“We’ve been able to hold our own and put the league on notice that we’re a different team,” Davis said.
Required reading
(Photo: Jevone Moore / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
