Austin Reaves poured in a team-high 25 points, Anthony Davis anchored a double-double with 18 rebounds and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers opened a two-game sequence against the Sacramento Kings with a 113-100 victory Thursday night.
Davis attached 21 points, four assists, three steals and six blocks to his rebound total and LeBron James chipped in with 19 points, a team-high seven assists and six rebounds for the Lakers, who won their second in a row.
De’Aaron scored a game-high 26 points and Domantas Sabonis accumulated 18 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists and two blocks for the Kings, who lost their second straight.
The clubs will meet in a rematch, also at Sacramento, on Saturday.
In the second meeting of the Pacific Division rivals this season, the Lakers duplicated their earlier success with a 37-point first quarter that set the tone for the night. Reaves buried a 3-pointer 16 seconds into the game to ignite a 15-2, game-opening burst.
Sacramento briefly moved in front in the second period, but the Lakers scored 13 of the half’s final 17 points to go up 62-58 at the break. They led most of the rest of the way.
Reaves’ 25 points, which came on 7-for-14 shooting, were just two fewer than his season high. He also contributed six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Reaves and Davis each were rewarded with nine free throws, helping the Lakers gain a 25-15 advantage in points from the foul line.
D’Angelo Russell chipped in with 16 points. Gabe Vincent scored 12, all on 3-pointers, and Rui Hachimura added 10 points for the Lakers, who won despite getting outshot 45.1 percent to 40.9 percent.
Malik Monk scored 17 points, while DeMar DeRozan and Keegan Murray tallied 10 apiece for the Kings, who hurt themselves with 16 turnovers that the Lakers turned into 22 points.
–Field Level Media