LOS ANGELES — Entering Sunday’s contest against the Kings, the Lakers were struggling.
They were dealing with their first losing streak of the season, and after Lakers head coach JJ Redick said practice would be “uncomfortable” after their third straight defeat, everyone wanted to see how LA would respond.
The Lakers reacted with their largest margin of victory at home this year, beating the Kings 125-101
.There were plenty of heroes in this game. Luka Dončić led the team in points with 34 and Nick
Smith Jr. stepped up with Austin Reaves out and scored 21 points off the bench.
However, this game and the momentum they established quickly started with LeBron James.
LeBron didn’t waste time ramping up or feeling things out against the Kings. James scored six of LA’s first eight points and did so in impressive fashion.
First, he spun past Maxime Raynaud for a reverse layup. Then LeBron followed that up with another reverse, this time on Russell Westbrook. Then the exclamation point on his trio of field goals to start this contest was a no-look lob from Marcus Smart.
The oldest player in the NBA, who will be another year older the next time the Lakers play, slammed the ball home. Suddenly, LA was rocking and undoubtedly in store for another great LeBron performance.
“He sets the tone,” Jake LaRavia said after the win. “He played very aggressive. He had that, spin baseline for his first bucket. And when the rest of the team sees that, even the bench, we all get hype and we kind of just get going all together.”
The Lakers’ biggest star might be Luka Dončić, but LeBron’s play is still necessary for success.
When he’s at his apex, he raises this team’s ceiling. And even at 40 going on 41, his athletic burst can overwhelm an opponent.
LeBron had three more dunks in this win, and each was more devastating than the other.
After the connection with Smart, he had a ridiculous reverse slam in the second quarter, followed by an alley-oop from Deandre Ayton in the third and ended his night with a fastbreak slam in the final period.
While the dunks galvanize the team and the crowd in Los Angeles, LeBron was getting it done from everywhere on the floor.
He ended the night with 24 points and went 11-13 from the field. His 84.6% shooting was the best he’s ever had in a Lakers uniform and the third-best shooting performance of his 23-year career.
“It definitely helps us,” Luka said. “He’s been doing this for a long time. He knows what he’s doing. So it definitely helps a lot, him moving. He was great today. Only two shots missed, that’s insane.”
Once you add in LeBron’s five assists, his two steals and an uptick in defensive energy, it made the result a forgone conclusion. The Lakers coasted to victory and the Kings never stood a chance of coming back into this game in the second half.
At this point in his career, it’s unreal that LeBron is still depended on to perform at an All-NBA level and that he can actually get it done.
Thanks to his play, the Lakers snapped their losing streak and appear to be back on track. With another win in hand and every accolade imaginable already in his possession, it seems the only challenge he has left is with Father Time.
That one is a contest that is rigged from the start. We are all guaranteed to lose it.
However, LeBron is still out there fighting. And it’s not LeBron who’s stuck in an eternal battle with Father Time, hoping to keep it going as long as possible, but rather Father Time that is here, gasping for air as we near 2026.
“I’m in a battle with him [Father Time] and I would like to say I’m kicking his a– on the backend,” LeBron said.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
