LeBron James posted his first triple-double of the season, including 16 points in the fourth quarter, as the Los Angeles Lakers improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2010-11 with a 131-127 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Saturday. evening at Crypto.com Arena.

James finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. All three marks were season highs for the 39-year-old in his 22nd season.

“Just when you think he’s slowing down, man, he keeps showing the world why he’s the best,” Anthony Davis said of James’ performance. “To continue that trajectory, he was basically looking at the bench and trying to get out of the game. We told him, ‘You can’t figure it out.’ He comes out and hits another three. He continues to amaze us all because we just know what he is capable of.”

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After leading the Kings by as many as 15 points in the first half, Sacramento roared back and took a seven-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Then James took over.

“I think a little bit of everything,” James said of what worked for him in the fourth quarter. “I got into a rhythm, made my outside shots and got a few in the paint as well. I have a backdoor from DLo (D’Angelo Russell) that worked well. So just trying to see what I had might help us get this back-to-back over the hump.

James scored his 16 points in the fourth quarter over a span of two minutes and 59 seconds. Entering the game, he scored just 16 and 21 points respectively from Los Angeles’ first two wins.

Lakers coach JJ Redick called the experience of watching James play in the fourth quarter “surreal.”

“What can you say?” Redick said. “We have all been fortunate to have watched his greatness for so long and the fact that he can continue to do this is just insane. It’s actually insane.”

Davis scored 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds. He scored thirty or more points in all three games this season.

The last time the Lakers beat the Kings was January 7, 2023 – 658 days ago. They had lost five games in a row and eight of nine against Sacramento. At 3-0, this is the best start for the Lakers since the 2010-11 season, when they started 8-0.

“We were able to hold our own and let the league know that we are a different team,” Davis said.

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(Photo: Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)