Doncic's Lakers Survive a Kings Rally to Sweep the Preseason…

By the Lakers Nightly Desk · Friday, October 9

Crypto.com Arena hosted its first preseason game of the season, and the Lakers watched a 19-point lead shrink to four before holding on. Luka Doncic had already made his mark with 23 points over 25 minutes; the reserves closed it out.

Luka Doncic of the Lakers — Luka Doncic. Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Nineteen Up, Four to Spare

The Lakers built a 19-point lead in the third quarter, their largest of the night, before a 14-0 Sacramento run in the fourth cut it to six. The Kings pulled within four by the final horn on Daeqwon Plowden's floater, assisted by Nique Clifford. Doncic had already logged his 23 points on a perfect 9-of-9 from the line before sitting for the stretch run; five turnovers in 25 minutes kept the margin tighter than it needed to be. The win completed a two-game preseason sweep of the Kings, following a 127-103 win at Sacramento on Oct. 5.

The Bench Ties It

Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, a plus-13 mark over 21 minutes off the bench, and Jake LaRavia added 17 on 6-of-9 with a plus-12 mark over 24. Between them, the reserves tied the starters point for point, 53 to 53, while Quentin Grimes added 12 points but turned it over six times in 29 minutes. This marks the second straight preseason game in which a reserve has topped Lakers scoring, after Mamukelashvili scored 15 in the Oct. 6 defeat at Golden State.

Five Days, Then Golden State

The Lakers do not play again until Oct. 13, a home rematch with the Warriors, who beat them 124-98 on Oct. 6. Six players remain day-to-day — Dalton Knecht, Ziaire Williams, Cameron Carr, Collin Sexton, Arthur Kaluma and Walker Kessler — each with an estimated return of Oct. 13. Off the court, Lakers Nation reported that Jeanie Buss had struck an agreement with Mark Walter to stay on as the team's alternate governor beyond the original five-year term from his purchase, a detail that emerged as her siblings' lawsuit over the franchise's sale continues.

Did the Lakers sweep the Kings in the preseason series?

Yes. Los Angeles won both meetings, 127-103 on Oct. 5 and 114-110 on Oct. 8.

When do the Lakers play next?

Oct. 13 at home against the Warriors, who beat them 124-98 on Oct. 6.

By the Lakers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.