LONG ROAD TRIP
The Los Angeles Lakers don’t typically get off to fast starts, so the current 3-0 run stands out as their best in 14 years, and they aim to extend that start since winning eight straight to begin the 2010-11 campaign when they visit the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
The clash with Phoenix is the opener of a five-game road trip. The Lakers opened with three straight wins at home, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, Suns and Sacramento Kings by an average of six points.
“We’ve been able to hold our own and put the league on notice that we’re a different team,” Los Angeles star big man Anthony Davis said after Saturday’s 131-127 victory over the Kings.
The Lakers averaged 121.3 points in the first three games under new coach JJ Redick.
Davis has topped 30 points in all three games—he’s averaging 34 points and 11 rebounds—while LeBron James broke loose against Sacramento with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his 113th career triple-double.
James (6-for-6) and Davis (5-for-5) didn’t miss a shot in the 44-point fourth quarter that took the Lakers past the Kings.
James drained three 3-pointers and had 16 points, six assists and five rebounds in the decisive period.
“I guess a little bit of everything,” James said of what worked for him down the stretch. “Just trying to see what I had going to help us get us over the hump on this back-to-back.”
Redick termed the final-quarter performance by James as “surreal.”
“We’ve all been very fortunate to watch his greatness for so long and the fact that he’s able to keep doing it, it’s actually insane,” Redick said.
KD milestone
The Lakers registered a 123-116 win over the Suns on Friday when Davis had 35 points, Austin Reaves scored 26 and James added 21.
Kevin Durant scored 30 on 11-of-17 shooting for the Suns. Devin Booker added 23 points.
Phoenix won for the second time in three games on Saturday when it posted a 114-102 home win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Durant scored 31 points to become the eighth player in NBA history to surpass 29,000 points. He enters Monday’s game with 29,010.
The seven players ahead of Durant on the all-time scoring list are an elite list of basketball legends—scoring leader James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain.
“I’ve got to give credit to the people who have helped me since I was a kid,” Durant said. “Teammates who passed me the ball, set screens for me, and coaches who drew up plays for me.”
Booker added 21 points and Jusuf Nurkic had 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Booker was pleased with the tenacity Phoenix displayed on a night in which Luka Doncic of the Mavericks poured in 40 points.
