Kings overcome LeBron’s triple-double, hold on in 4th quarter for 125-110 win over Lakers

On Wednesday night, the Sacramento Kings defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 125-110, their fourth straight victory, despite LeBron James’ 108th career triple-double and the Lakers’ fourth-quarter comeback attempt. Domantas Sabonis led the team with 29 points and 16 rebounds.

The Kings, who won their fifth straight game against their downstate rivals, ended Los Angeles’ three-game winning streak with 28 points apiece from De’Aaron Fox and Kevin Huerter.

Huerter, who made six 3-pointers, commented, “Got out to a great start.” We played quickly, got out in transition, and established ourselves offensively. Although I don’t think we kept it up for the remainder of the game, it still demonstrates our potential at that level of play.

In his first triple-double of his 21st NBA season, James recorded 28 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, severing his tie with Jason Kidd for the fifth-most in NBA history. In the fourth quarter, he also spearheaded the Lakers’ comeback, cutting Sacramento’s 26-point advantage to nine points until they ran out of gas.

Mike Brown, the coach of Sacramento, praised the 38-year-old James’ performance as “amazing.”

I’m not sure if it’s possible to set a deadline for his completion, continued Brown, who had James as his coach for five seasons in Cleveland. “I believe he is the only one who is capable of doing so. Two, actually, since his wife might be able to help with that. Given his age, it’s truly astounding what he can accomplish. It’s incredible. Every time we oppose him, I’m in awe.

The Kings had defeated the Lakers three times in a row in Los Angeles, and early in the fourth quarter, their three best scorers gave them a 106-80 lead. Unexpectedly, the Lakers continued to play with their starting and went on a 30-point run, but they were unable to narrow the huge deficit.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham stated, “Whenever we get stops (and) we take care of the ball, we’re usually fine.” I am aware of how many scorers we have on the team, especially the five players who completed for us. You must give them an opportunity to see what we are capable of. I felt we did that. Perhaps with a few mistakes or bad shots on their end, you can cut into the advantage and force a game.

For the first time in six games this season, the Lakers suffered a home defeat despite D’Angelo Russell’s 28 points. In Los Angeles’ fourth game in six days, Anthony Davis scored just nine points on three of nine shots, pulled down nine rebounds, and had four shots blocked.

After scoring four points in the first four minutes of the game, Davis was unable to score another until the fourth quarter.

Davis, who has been dealing with a hip muscle issue lately, said, I just played bad. I won’t wear it with anything.” Simply said, those were missed shots. I continue to treat it daily. Of course, you don’t get to play back-to-back on that particular day to really go for it. I was still a little bothered by it, but I had to go out there and finish my work.

In Sacramento last month, the Kings defeated the Lakers via overtime, but in this game, they jumped out to a 19-point lead in the first quarter. With 3:05 remaining, Cam Reddish’s 3-pointer pulled Los Angeles within 119-110, but James committed a turnover and missed a 3-point shot on the Lakers’ next two possessions.

The Lakers’ three-game winning streak—which was highlighted by their season-opening blowout victory against Memphis on Tuesday—follows a three-game losing streak. The loss puts an end to this great run of play. Los Angeles once more failed to stop the Grizzlies from scoring 20 3-pointers, giving up 16 to the Kings.

Credits: ESPN

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