The first look was lopsided. The Lakers beat Kings 127-103 in Monday night’s preseason opener at Golden 1 Center, building a 73-47 halftime lead behind full-court pressure, hot shooting and a short, sharp first half from Luka Doncic. They did it without Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton. Rookie Cameron Carr scored 19 off the bench, and JJ Redick got the first live answers to several questions from camp.
Here is the verified recap, building on our game-day preview.
Lakers Beat Kings 127-103: How It Went
The tone was set on the first possession. Sacramento committed a shot-clock violation, and Doncic turned to the bench with raised fists and a grin, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Lakers won the first quarter 36-28 and the second 37-19, then gave the second half to the reserves. Sacramento won the third 30-26; the Lakers took the fourth 28-26.
The numbers explain the gap. The Lakers shot 41-of-82 from the field and 20-of-44 from three, while the Kings made just 4 of 23 threes. Los Angeles forced 26 turnovers, collected 15 steals and handed out 29 assists. For context, the Times noted the Lakers averaged 8.5 steals per game last season. Attendance was 15,130.
Luka Doncic: 21 Points in 16 Minutes
Doncic played 15:58, all in the first half, and finished with 21 points (5-of-12 FG, 3-of-9 from three, 8-of-9 FT), three assists, two rebounds and two steals. He took a hard knee to the side of his quad midway through the second quarter but stayed in the game. With the Lakers up 26 at halftime, he did not return.
It was his first competitive game in about six months, since the hamstring injury that ended his 2025-26 season. “Basketball is one of the best things in my life, and I miss it a lot,” Doncic said. “It’s been five, six months, I think. Being back for the games, being competitive is just a lot of fun for me, and I’m really happy to be back.”
He credited the wings for the energy. “We all had fun out there,” Doncic said. “Especially with Matisse [Thybulle] and Ziaire [Williams], just that beginning of the game, the start, that’s contagious for everybody, and how they start the game, it was inspirational.”
Who Played and Who Sat
The starting five was Doncic, Quentin Grimes, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle and Kevon Looney, with Looney at center in place of Kessler. Inactive or held out, per the Times:
- Austin Reaves (ankle): tweaked it in practice but still went through his pregame warmup routine.
- Walker Kessler (left pinky finger): wore a splint after jamming the finger on the backboard during practice last week.
- Collin Sexton (lower body) and two-way forward Arthur Kaluma (lower body).
Redick does not expect any of those injuries to be long-term. Two-way wing AK Okereke and camp signee Cole Swider did not appear in the box score.
Top Performers
- Cameron Carr: 19 points (7-of-13, 3-of-7 from three), three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 22:32. “I was definitely nervous, but I mean, it’s basketball; I enjoy having fun,” Carr said. Much of his run came with the game already in hand.
- Quentin Grimes: 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, 2-of-3 from three, 4-of-4 at the line.
- Ziaire Williams: 13 points, 3-of-3 from three, and the top on-ball defender to start the game.
- Jake LaRavia: 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting with two steals and two blocks, plus a team-best +27.
- Chris Mañon: 12 points in 12 minutes, 8-of-10 at the line, five rebounds. Redick’s Saturday praise of the two-way guard carried over.
- Kevon Looney: nine rebounds and three assists in the start.
For Sacramento, Nique Clifford scored 23 with nine rebounds off the bench. Rookie Darius Acuff Jr. had 19 points, four assists and five turnovers in 27 minutes. Domantas Sabonis played 10 minutes.
The “Line of Confrontation” Shows Up
The defensive identity Redick has talked about since Day 1 was on display. The Lakers call it the “line of confrontation”: picking up the ball earlier and disrupting before the offense gets set. Williams, Thybulle, Adou Thiero and Grimes all guarded full court, and the Lakers had four steals in the first quarter alone.
Redick said this was the first time in his tenure he felt the team had multiple players capable of that job, per the Times. At halftime, coaches showed a clip of Williams picking up full court and how Doncic’s energy rose with it. “You don’t wanna be the only guy out there that’s not being physical, not picking up full, not being a pest,” Williams said. “Coming in, I knew that I saw that the team could use that, someone who could pick up full and could guard the main ball handler and really set the tone on that end.”
On offense, Redick liked the ball movement. “We just consistently just did the right play, and the right play helped our teammates,” he said.
Knecht and the Rotation Notes
Dalton Knecht played 12 minutes off the bench and finished scoreless on one shot, with two rebounds and an assist. It was a quiet first audition in the 16-to-15 roster crunch we covered in our Day 3 report. Jaden Hardy, another name on the bubble list, scored eight in 13:51. Bronny James had three points, five rebounds and two assists in 15:53, and Jarred Vanderbilt played 10:36. No roster moves were announced after the game.
Behind Looney, Sandro Mamukelashvili played 19 minutes with eight points and five assists. Rookie big William Kyle III got 4:30 late.
Watch: Lakers Hot in the First Half
The Lakers’ official channel posted a first-half highlight short from Sacramento:
What’s Next
Three questions carry into Chase Center. First, whether the full-court pressure holds up against a Warriors group built around movement rather than a rookie point guard. Second, whether Carr and Mañon earn first-half minutes after strong debuts, or whether their run stays tied to garbage time. Third, whether Redick keeps the same starting five or uses the second night to test a different combination on the wing, with LaRavia’s +27 making a case of its own.
After the Lakers beat Kings on Monday, they play again tonight, Tuesday, October 6, at the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center, 7 p.m. PT, on the second night of a back-to-back. Doncic’s availability had not been announced as of Tuesday morning. Reaves and Kessler are day-to-day. The Lakers then host Sacramento on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. Monday showed why the Lakers beat Kings so easily: depth on the wing and pressure from the opening possession. Follow InfanityTV for the Golden State recap.
