SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 19: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks back to the Sacramento Kings’ bench in the first half at Golden 1 Center on December 19, 2024 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
LeBron James had 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists while breaking the NBA record for regular-season minutes, helping the Los Angeles beat the Sacramento Kings 113-100 on Thursday night.
James spent 34 minutes on the court against the Kings to give him 57,471 in his career, moving past Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (57,446) for the record.
Anthony Davis had 21 points and 20 rebounds in the opener of a two-game set at Golden 1 Center. Austin Reaves scored 35 points and D’Angelo Russell added 16 points to help the Lakers (15-12) to their third win in four games.
The Kings trailed most of the game then closed within 93-90 on De’Aaron Fox’s jumper with eight minutes remaining. Reaves’s short bank shot and two free throws from Davis sparked a 10-2 run that helped the Lakers pull away.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Fox had 26 points, five assists and three steals for the Kings. Domantas Sabonis added 18 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Malik Monk scored 17 points.
Takeaways
Lakers: Davis fell hard to the floor in the fourth quarter and stayed down for several moments before getting up and limping heavily. Davis, who has been dealing with left plantar fasciitis, stayed in the game and immediately made a big defensive stop.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
Kings: For the second consecutive game a poor first quarter doomed Mike Brown’s club. Sacramento fell behind by 14 early, made a run to take the lead in the second then spent the entire fourth quarter playing from behind.
Key moment
The momentum changed when Fox picked up his fifth foul with 6:47 minutes left in the second half, forcing the point guard to the bench. He was limited to 11 minutes the rest of the game.
Key stat
Three days after giving up 76 points in the paint to Denver, the Kings held the Lakers to 44 points inside the key.
Up next
The teams will complete the two-game set in Sacramento on Saturday.
