Luka Dončić scored 40 points for the third straight game as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 116-103 on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center, improving to 7-2 on the season. Dončić added nine rebounds, seven assists and six turnovers in 35 minutes, shooting 11 of 23 from the field and 6 of 13 from three-point range.
Dončić opened with 10 points in the first quarter and took over the second, scoring 13 of the Lakers’ final 15 points of the half to reach 23 by the break. He finished 12 of 13 at the free-throw line. It was his sixth consecutive game with at least 35 points, and his fifth 40-point outing of the young season.
Austin Reaves scored 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting, and Walker Kessler added 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting with eight rebounds and four blocks. The Lakers entered the night averaging 122.5 points per game, and they needed little of that offense to handle a Kings team that came in 1-6 and allowing 124.3 points per game. Sacramento got 22 points and 12 assists from rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. and 21 points from Zach LaVine in the loss, falling to 1-7.
Lakers coach JJ Redick was asked afterward about Dončić’s growth beyond scoring. Redick said he has seen a lot of growth from him in talking to his teammates, calling the back-and-forth “really healthy” and crediting Dončić with leading that process. Separately, forward Adou Thiero, who has been out with a left knee injury, practiced Wednesday with the G League’s Coachella Valley Lakers, and Redick said the session went well and that Thiero will rejoin the team.
A Scoring Streak Still Waiting for a Real Test
Dončić’s third straight 40-point game extends a stretch that has carried the Lakers’ offense through the season’s first nine games, but it came against a Kings defense that entered the night allowing 124.3 points per game, among the league’s worst. The volume of turnovers — six from Dončić alone — and a first half that produced 26 combined fouls suggest the win was built more on talent gap than execution.
The more meaningful read on this scoring pace will come against defenses built to slow him down, not ones sitting near the bottom of the league.
Portland Arrives at 6-1 for an NBA Cup Group Game
The Lakers host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, Nov. 6, in an Emirates NBA Cup group game at Crypto.com Arena. Portland is 6-1, a clear step up after wins over Toronto, Miami and Sacramento.
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