LOS ANGELES – LeBron James caught fire in the fourth quarter Saturday, scoring 16 of his game-high 32 points in a three-minute span to help the Los Anglees Lakers to a 131-127 victory over the Sacramento Kings and a 3-0 start to the season.

James was responsible for 18 points in the Lakers’ 21-0 run to start the fourth, scoring 11 straight points, then assisting on a Jaxson Hayes dunk and then scoring five more.

While it was an excellent performance for the 22-year veteran, James said a fourth-quarter blowout isn’t something he thinks will be necessary for entire games for LA to win this season.

“Listen, I could do that at 22 years old, but at almost 40 years old, I don’t have to do it for four quarters,” James said after adding 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his 113th triple-double from his career. “I have the luxury of having an MVP-caliber player next to me (in Anthony Davis). AR (Austin Reaves) can get things going in bunches, D-Lo (D’Angelo Russell) can catch fire, Rui (Hachimura) has been consistent and he can also get into groups and score.

“So this team is not built on me having 16-point quarters through all four quarters. It’s not built that way and it shouldn’t be. We’re a team and we all play together.”

As hot as James was to start the fourth, it was Davis who finished it off, hitting a 3 and nailing a free throw in the final minute to give LA the lead.

“We’re cheering him on, coaches are cheering him on, we as his teammates are cheering him on to shoot that 3-ball, and probably the biggest shot of the night is him making that 3, so that made it easy for me,” James said of Davis, who pitched his third straight 30-point game, tying a franchise record for most consecutive 30-point games to start the season with Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Kobe Bryant.

James had been relatively quiet in the Lakers’ first two wins against Minnesota and Phoenix, scoring a combined 37 points.

“Just when you think he’s slowing down, man, he keeps showing the world why he’s the best,” Davis said of James. “To continue that trajectory, he actually looked at the bench and tried to come out of the game. We told him, ‘You’re not coming out.’ He comes out and hits another three. He continues to amaze us all because we just know what he’s capable of and what he can do.”

While every other Lakers starter had 16 points or more, supporting James’ claim that he doesn’t need to score aggressively from the opening tip to the final buzzer, if he finds such a rhythm, there’s nothing left for LA to score. just embrace it.

“What can you say?” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “We have all been fortunate to witness his greatness for so long, and the fact that he can continue to do this is just insane.”