The Los Angeles Lakers moved to 7-2 on the young NBA season, riding Luka Dončić’s third 40-point game to a 116-103 road win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, Jumpball reported.
Dončić finished with 40 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, going 11 of 23 from the field and 6 of 13 from three-point range. The performance extended a scoring streak of 45 points against Toronto, 42 against Miami and now 40 against Sacramento, and gave him four 40-point games in his first seven outings of the season.
How Dončić built the 40-point night
Dončić got going early, opening the first quarter with a midrange jumper and a three-point play after drawing a foul, then added free throws and a step-back three to put 10 points on the board in the first 12 minutes, according to Jumpball. In the second quarter he hit three straight three-pointers as part of an 11-0 personal run that swung the momentum to Los Angeles, and he carried 23 points into halftime.
The barrage continued after the break, with Dončić mixing drives, threes and midrange jumpers, and he crossed the 40-point mark in the fourth quarter while converting free throws. He left the floor once the Lakers’ lead was secure and finished on the bench as the winners.
A scoring title pace taking shape
Through seven games, Dončić is averaging 38.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.1 assists in 35.7 minutes per game, which has him ranked first in the NBA in scoring, well ahead of Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at 30.1 points per game, Jumpball reported. The peak of the run came on Oct. 26, when he scored 52 points against the Utah Jazz.
Reaves and Kessler fill out the box score
Dončić did not carry the load alone. Austin Reaves added 21 points, three rebounds and four assists, and Walker Kessler contributed 15 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers, according to Jumpball.
Sacramento got a big night from Domantas Sabonis, who posted 16 points and 17 rebounds, along with 21 points from Zach LaVine, but could not contain Dončić. The Kings fell to 1-7 on the season with the loss.
The Lakers cruise past the Kings in Sacramento, 116-103 Luka Dončić marked his 100th game as a Laker with a 40-point night, and he is now the first player in NBA history with six straight games of 35+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ threes. Tonight: 40 PTS | 9 REB | 7…
For the Lakers, the win extends their winning streak to three games and keeps them atop the early-season form they have shown since opening night with Dončić’s scoring average now more than eight points clear of the rest of the league’s scoring leaders.
