LeBron James’ 4th-quarter flurry leads Lakers past Kings

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 victory 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.

“Just when you think he’s slowing down, he continues to show the world why he’s the greatest,” Lakers big man Anthony Davis said. “He never ceases to amaze any of us because we just know what he’s capable of, and what he’s able to do.

“Obviously, his game and the work he put in speaks for itself. But to come out and give us that energy that we needed in that fourth quarter when they made that run, he carried us and then the rest of the guys made plays to finish it off.”

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.

“That performance to start the fourth from LeBron, 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’s actually insane. It’s actually insane.”

James, at 39 years old and in his 22nd NBA season, finished with his first triple-double of the season and the 113th of his career: 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.

“I caught a rhythm, had my outside shot going, got a couple ones in the paint as well,” James said. “Got a backdoor from [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.”

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.

“I said to A.D. during the fourth, ‘It’s a game of imperfect. Doesn’t mean it can’t be great, though,’” Redick said. “Doesn’t mean it can’t be great. Those guys played great. And again, we’re fortunate. We’re fortunate for our group that we have two of the best players in the world. And those guys showed up.”

After the Kings closed the third quarter on a 6-0 run, rookie wing Dalton Knecht (10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in 20 minutes) opened the quarter with a 3-pointer, helping turn the momentum in the Lakers’ favor.

“Coming out of that timeout at the end of the third, we’re down seven and Dalton hits that three, cuts it to four,” Redick recalled. “The angst that we felt in ending that [third] quarter that way, that was a big shot.

Redick added: “Dalton was over there in his warm-ups, just casually stretching. I said, ‘Hey, are you ready to make a shot?’ He said, ‘I’m always ready.’ I wish that shot was a little more open, but he has the ability to just hit tough ones.”

After Knecht’s 3-pointer, James started his personal run by hitting a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer in De’Aaron Fox’s face to reduce the Lakers’ deficit to 94-93 early in the fourth.

What followed: a pull-up 2-pointer to put the Lakers up; an and-one layup; a 28-foot catch-and-shoot 3-pointer; assisting Jaxson Hayes on a dunk; a 30-foot pull-up 3-pointer in transition; and cutting for an up-and-under layup.

All in four minutes, putting the Lakers ahead 108-94 after entering the fourth down by seven.

“To go on that stretch, he actually looked to the bench and was trying to come out the game,” Davis said. “We told him, ‘You’re not coming out.’ He comes out and hits another 3.”

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 against 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.

Domantas Sabonis led the Kings with a 29-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double on 10-of-14 shooting. Fox finished with 28 points and 10 assists. DeMar DeRozan, whom the Kings acquired from the Chicago Bulls in an offseason sign-and-trade, scored 23 points.

The Lakers (3-0) will begin a five-game road trip on Monday against the Phoenix Suns.