SACRAMENTO, Calif. — LeBron James delivered an impressive performance, securing 19 points, six rebounds, and seven assists while also setting a new NBA record for most regular-season minutes played. His contributions led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 113-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night.
James played for 34 minutes during the game, bringing his career total to 57,471 minutes and surpassing the previous record held by Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had 57,446 minutes.
In addition to James, Anthony Davis had a standout performance with 21 points and a remarkable 20 rebounds in the first game of a two-match series at Golden 1 Center. Austin Reaves shined with a career-high 35 points, while D’Angelo Russell contributed 16 points, helping the Lakers improve to a record of 15-12 with three wins in their past four games.
The Kings struggled for a significant portion of the game but rallied to narrow the deficit to 93-90 following a jumper from De’Aaron Fox with eight minutes to go. However, Reaves responded with a bank shot, and Davis added two free throws, initiating a critical 10-2 run that ultimately gave the Lakers the breathing room they needed.
Fox led the Kings with 26 points, alongside five assists and three steals. Domantas Sabonis contributed 18 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, while Malik Monk added 17 points to the team’s effort.
Key observations from the game include Davis taking a heavy fall in the fourth quarter, lingering on the court for several moments before getting up and displaying noticeable limping. Despite dealing with left plantar fasciitis, he remained in the game and made a crucial defensive play shortly thereafter.
The Kings faced a setback for the second consecutive game, falling victim to a poor first quarter. They trailed by 14 points early, managed to take a brief lead in the second quarter, but spent the entirety of the fourth trailing behind.
A significant turning point occurred when Fox picked up his fifth foul with just 6:47 left in the game, which forced him to the bench for an extended period. He would only play 11 more minutes as a result.
In contrast to their last game where they allowed 76 points in the paint to the Denver Nuggets, the Kings managed to limit the Lakers to 44 points in the paint this time around.
Looking ahead, the two teams will face off once more in Sacramento for the second game of their series on Saturday.