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October 9, 2026 at 2:53 PM UTC

Postgame Report

Lakers Hold Off Kings 114-110 to Sweep Preseason Pair

Three nights after a 127-103 win in Sacramento, the Lakers beat the Kings again at Crypto.com Arena, with Luka Doncic's 23 points leading all scorers.

Lakers Hold Off Kings 114-110 to Sweep Preseason Pair image
Lakers Hold Off Kings 114-110 to Sweep Preseason Pair image

The Lakers have now beaten the Kings twice in a preseason week, and the second one was a good deal tighter than the first. They won 114-110 Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena, after taking the opener in Sacramento on Monday, 127-103. Nobody in either building will mistake October results for anything permanent, but a sweep over a division-caliber opponent is a decent way to start.

Luka Doncic led all scorers with 23 points in 25 minutes, adding three rebounds and three assists. That follows the 21 points in 16 minutes he put up Monday, so the early production hasn't needed much time to arrive. Sandro Mamukelashvili gave the Lakers 19 points off the bench and Jake LaRavia added 17. Quentin Grimes played a team-high 29 minutes and scored 12.

Austin Reaves scored only 8, but he also had eight assists and five rebounds, which is how the Doncic-Reaves pairing is supposed to work on a night when one of them isn't scoring. JJ Redick has said the roster was assembled around players who complement Luka and AR, and the early evidence backs him up. He also credited the Lakers' defensive disruption in the opener, pointing to the new wings, Matisse Thybulle among them, for a turnover count he said the franchise hadn't seen in a quarter-century.

Sacramento had more to answer for in the first meeting, when Los Angeles made 20 of 44 from three, and the Kings' perimeter defense was the obvious thing to fix. They stayed within reach this time. Precious Achiuwa scored 18, Daeqwon Plowden got 15 points in only 11 minutes, and Maxime Raynaud had 13 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. It wasn't enough to finish the job against a Lakers team that has now won both of its preseason games.

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