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 the Lakers’ 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 three…

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

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

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.

And the other focal point, Davis, shut them out.

As Sacramento climbed back into the lead led by James, Davis came back into the game and continued his dominance earlier in the season. He attacked Domantas Sabonis at the rim 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.

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, Lakers coach JJ 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 on Saturday, the Lakers scored 19 goals, leading to 25 Sacramento points.

But like the wins against Western contenders Minnesota and Phoenix, the Lakers found other ways to work things in their favor.

On Saturday, 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, the Lakers’ stars were simply better.

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.