LeBron James' triple-double helps the Lakers to their third win in a row

After the Lakers began their season with two straight wins for the first time since 2010, LeBron James stood in front of his locker and said the key to their season will, in most cases, be Anthony Davis taking the lead.

“It is very important that he is the center of our attention every night,” James said defiantly on Friday. “We know what he’s going to do defensively, but offensively we need to find him in multiple spots on the field throughout the game. And we did that in two games.”

So to game 3…

With the Lakers jumping out to a 15-point lead and the Sacramento Kings doing what they always seem to do to their rivals, James reminded everyone that he, too, can be the center of attention.

In four minutes of near-perfect basketball, the 39-year-old Lakers star scored 14 points and assisted on two more. Overtime, which came during a 21-0 run early in the fourth quarter, propelled the Lakers to another victory, 131-127 over the Kings.

“What can you say about LeBron's performance early in the fourth?” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “We've all been so fortunate to watch his greatness for so long, and the fact that he can continue to do it is just crazy. “It's crazy, actually.”

James finished the game with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, his play early in the fourth quarter putting the Lakers in position to beat the Kings for the first time since January 7, 2023.

“I found a rhythm, got my outside shot and also hit a few shots in the paint,” James said. “Got a back door from [D’Angelo Russell] that worked well. So I’m just trying to figure out what can help me get through the difficult situation in this back-to-back race.”

And the other key player, Davis, finished the game.

As Sacramento struggled against the run led by James, Davis came back into the game and continued his dominance earlier in the season. He tackled Domantas Sabonis on the sideline and iced the game with a three-pointer and a split trip to the free throw line, his only miss in the fourth quarter of a 31-point night.

Davis and James combined to make all 11 shots in the fourth quarter and combined for 30 points in the quarter.

“Just when you think he's slowing down, he continues to show the world why he's the greatest,” Davis said of James. “To continue on that stretch, he actually looked at the bench and tried to get out of the game. We told him, ‘You’re not coming out.’ He comes out and hits another three. He continues to surprise each of us because we just know what he is capable of and what he can do.”

All five starters finished in double figures, with Rui Hachimura scoring 18 points and nine rebounds, Austin Reaves contributing 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists and D'Angelo Russell adding 16 points and five assists.

Before the game, Redick admitted that the sample sizes were nowhere near meaningful levels early in the season. Still, he was encouraged by the Lakers' low turnover rates.

Then the Lakers coughed 19 times, resulting in 25 Sacramento points.

But as with wins against Western Conference contenders Minnesota and Phoenix, the Lakers found other ways to turn things to their advantage.

They grabbed 13 more rebounds than the Kings and finished with four more shots despite having five more turnovers than Sacramento. And while Sabonis had a triple-double with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists and De'Aaron Fox had 28 and 10 assists, James and the Lakers' stars were simply better.

“In general, when you act out of gratitude, sometimes you have a feeling of unreality. And I’ve certainly seen that many times in my many days as head coach of the Lakers,” Redick said. “And tonight it was a surreal moment watching him [and] train him.”

The Lakers now embark on a five-game trip that begins Monday in Phoenix and includes stops in Cleveland, Toronto, Detroit and Memphis before returning to Los Angeles.