Lakers Stun Warriors in Double OT Thriller: LeBron Drops 42, Drains Game-Winner

The Los Angeles Lakers opened preseason with a statement, throttling the Sacramento Kings 127-103 behind 21 points from new franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic, who sat the entire second half after building a 26-point halftime cushion. Coach JJ Redick’s third-year squad flashed an aggressive full-court press anchored by rangy wings Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle; the Lakers forced 15 turnovers—well above last season’s 8.5 average—and drilled 12 of their first 22 threes to keep Golden 1 Center quiet. The defensive makeover is already paying dividends. Williams hounded Kings rookie Darius Acuff end-to-end, while Thybulle added two steals and a pair of corner triples. Doncic, energized by the pressure, went 3-for-9 from deep but was perfect at the line (9-for-9) before exiting with a precautionary quad bruise. Injury report: starting center Walker Kessler (sprained pinky) and combo guard Austin Reaves (ankle) sat out but are not expected to miss Opening Night on Oct. 21 against the Golden State Warriors. Collin Sexton (lower body) and two-way forward Arthur Kaluma are also day-to-day. What’s next: Los Angeles hosts a second preseason clash with Sacramento on Friday, Oct. 9, at Crypto.com Arena; ESPN lists the Lakers as 12.5-point favorites with a projected total of 229.5 points. Two nights later they travel north to face Stephen Curry’s Warriors in a nationally televised tune-up that should offer the first glimpse of Kessler’s rim protection alongside Doncic’s playmaking. Key takeaways for Lakers Nation: • Doncic’s health and defensive buy-in look strong after a six-month layoff. • Redick finally has multiple perimeter pests, enabling the “line of confrontation” he’s preached since 2024. • Three-point volume (43 attempts vs. SAC) suggests an offense built to complement Doncic’s drive-and-kick wizardry. With LeBron James officially part of Lakers lore and not the locker room, the early returns on the Doncic-led era point toward a younger, faster, and far more disruptive purple-and-gold identity—one that could vault the Lakers back into the Western Conference elite as soon as this month.