LOS ANGELES -- — Luka Doncic scored 34 points, LeBron James had 24, and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped their three-game losing streak with a 125-101 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.

Nick Smith Jr. had 21 off the bench for the Lakers, who had dropped four of six and all by at least 13 points, including a 23-point demolition at the hands of Houston on Christmas Day in their previous game.

DeMar DeRozan had 22 for the Kings, who have won consecutive games just once this season. Maxime Raynaud finished with 16, as Sacramento had six players in double figures.

After two-plus days of stewing over the no-show against the Rockets, including a team meeting on Saturday and a rare Sunday morning shootaround, the Lakers found themselves in the second quarter, with Doncic scoring 15 of his 24 first-half points in the period for a 68-53 halftime lead.

Smith’s production was just as important, with 10 points in eight minutes while making all four of his shots from the field in the first half. Coach JJ Redick had identified Smith, a third-year shooting guard from Arkansas, as the player with the most to gain while Austin Reaves misses the next month because of a strained left calf.

Determined to get back into the win column, Los Angeles kept the pressure up after the break. Doncic, Rui Hachimura and James each knocked down 3-pointers during a 13-2 run to start the third quarter that pushed the lead to 26.

The Kings couldn't maintain the defensive improvement shown over their previous four games, allowing the Lakers to shoot 52.8% from the floor. James made 11 of his 13 shots from the field.

Up next

Kings: Visit the Clippers in Inglewood, California on Tuesday night.

Lakers: Host the Pistons on Tuesday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Play By Play

Recent plays and game events

TIME	PLAY
12:00	Maxime Raynaud vs. Deandre Ayton (Marcus Smart gains possession)	0	0
11:38	LeBron James makes two point shot (Rui Hachimura assists)	2	0
11:24	DeMar DeRozan misses 18-foot pullup jump shot	2	0
11:21	Luka Doncic defensive rebound	2	0
11:03	Rui Hachimura misses driving layup	2	0
11:01	Russell Westbrook defensive rebound	2	0
10:53	Maxime Raynaud misses 3-foot floating jump shot	2	0
10:51	Deandre Ayton defensive rebound	2	0
10:43	Deandre Ayton misses driving floating jump shot	2	0
10:41	Russell Westbrook defensive rebound	2	0
10:36	Russell Westbrook misses 17-foot two point shot	2	0
10:33	Deandre Ayton defensive rebound	2	0
10:24	Luka Doncic makes driving layup	4	0
10:08	DeMar DeRozan misses 13-foot pullup jump shot	4	0
10:04	DeMar DeRozan offensive rebound	4	0
10:04	DeMar DeRozan makes 12-foot floating jump shot	4	2
9:45	LeBron James makes 1-foot reverse layup (Marcus Smart assists)	6	2
9:33	Luka Doncic shooting foul	6	2
9:33	DeMar DeRozan makes free throw 1 of 2	6	3
9:33	DeMar DeRozan makes free throw 2 of 2	6	4
9:12	Marcus Smart misses 26-foot three point jumper	6	4
9:09	Maxime Raynaud defensive rebound	6	4
9:02	Russell Westbrook lost ball turnover (Marcus Smart steals)	6	4
8:58	LeBron James makes 1-foot dunk (Marcus Smart assists)	8	4
8:38	DeMar DeRozan makes 11-foot pullup jump shot	8	6
8:21	Luka Doncic lost ball turnover (Russell Westbrook steals)	8	6
8:15	Russell Westbrook misses 23-foot three point jumper	8	6
8:13	Marcus Smart defensive rebound	8	6
8:08	LeBron James misses 26-foot three point pullup jump shot	8	6
8:04	Maxime Raynaud defensive rebound	8	6
7:55	Russell Westbrook makes 24-foot three point jumper	8	9
7:38	Deandre Ayton makes layup (Luka Doncic assists)	10	9
7:18	Maxime Raynaud makes 5-foot two point shot (Russell Westbrook assists)	10	11
7:12	Rui Hachimura makes 1-foot dunk (Luka Doncic assists)	12	11
6:58	DeMar DeRozan makes 16-foot turnaround jump shot (Maxime Raynaud assists)	12	13
6:45	DeMar DeRozan personal foul	12	13
6:45	Lakers Full timeout	12	13
6:45	Jake LaRavia enters the game for LeBron James	12	13
6:34	Keon Ellis blocks Luka Doncic 's 29-foot three point jumper	12	13
6:32	Maxime Raynaud defensive rebound	12	13
6:21	DeMar DeRozan misses 16-foot pullup jump shot	12	13
6:17	Russell Westbrook offensive rebound	12	13
6:12	Jake LaRavia blocks Russell Westbrook 's 6-foot driving layup	12	13
6:09	Deandre Ayton defensive rebound	12	13
6:03	Russell Westbrook shooting foul	12	13
6:03	Deandre Ayton makes free throw 1 of 2	13	13
6:03	Dylan Cardwell enters the game for Precious Achiuwa	13	13
6:03	Deandre Ayton misses free throw 2 of 2	13	13
6:01	Maxime Raynaud defensive rebound	13	13
5:47	Keon Ellis misses 27-foot three point jumper	13	13
5:43	Luka Doncic defensive rebound	13	13
5:36	Maxime Raynaud shooting foul	13	13
5:36	Luka Doncic makes free throw 1 of 2	14	13
5:36	Nique Clifford enters the game for Keon Ellis	14	13
5:36	Luka Doncic makes free throw 2 of 2	15	13
5:15	Jake LaRavia personal foul	15	13
5:04	Russell Westbrook makes layup (DeMar DeRozan assists)	15	15
4:49	Luka Doncic makes 27-foot three pointer	18	15
4:38	Jarred Vanderbilt enters the game for Marcus Smart	18	15
4:38	Dennis Schroder enters the game for Russell Westbrook	18	15
4:34	Nique Clifford makes 6-foot driving floating jump shot (Dennis Schroder assists)	18	17
4:23	Luka Doncic misses 27-foot three point step back jumpshot	18	17
4:19	Deandre Ayton offensive rebound	18	17
4:12	Luka Doncic misses 18-foot two point shot	18	17
4:11	Lakers offensive team rebound	18	17
4:11	Dylan Cardwell loose ball foul	18	17
4:11	Malik Monk enters the game for DeMar DeRozan	18	17
4:03	Luka Doncic misses 26-foot three point jumper	18	17
3:59	Dylan Cardwell defensive rebound	18	17
3:52	Rui Hachimura personal foul	18	17
3:47	Jake LaRavia personal foul	18	17
3:40	Malik Monk misses 26-foot three point step back jumpshot	18	17
3:36	Luka Doncic defensive rebound	18	17
3:33	Luka Doncic out of bounds bad pass turnover	18	17
3:16	Nique Clifford vs. Luka Doncic (Deandre Ayton gains possession)	18	17
3:16	Nique Clifford lost ball turnover (Luka Doncic steals)	18	17
3:03	Maxime Raynaud shooting foul	18	17
3:03	Luka Doncic makes free throw 1 of 2	19	17
3:03	LeBron James enters the game for Rui Hachimura	19	17
3:03	Precious Achiuwa enters the game for Maxime Raynaud	19	17
3:03	Luka Doncic makes free throw 2 of 2	20	17
2:49	Dennis Schroder makes 13-foot pullup jump shot	20	19
2:35	Luka Doncic lost ball turnover (Dylan Cardwell steals)	20	19
2:31	Dennis Schroder out of bounds bad pass turnover	20	19
2:31	Kings Full timeout	20	19
2:31	Maxi Kleber enters the game for Deandre Ayton	20	19
2:31	Nick Smith Jr. enters the game for Luka Doncic	20	19
2:31	Doug McDermott enters the game for Dylan Cardwell	20	19
2:17	Jake LaRavia makes driving layup (LeBron James assists)	22	19
2:17	Malik Monk shooting foul	22	19
2:17	Jake LaRavia makes free throw 1 of 1	23	19
2:02	Maxi Kleber shooting foul	23	19
2:02	Precious Achiuwa makes free throw 1 of 2	23	20
2:02	Precious Achiuwa misses free throw 2 of 2	23	20
1:59	Maxi Kleber defensive rebound	23	20
1:43	LeBron James makes 14-foot two point shot (Jake LaRavia assists)	25	20
1:31	Jarred Vanderbilt personal foul	25	20
1:31	Dennis Schroder makes free throw 1 of 2	25	21
1:31	Dennis Schroder makes free throw 2 of 2	25	22
1:15	Nick Smith Jr. makes 30-foot three point jumper (Maxi Kleber assists)	28	22
55.6	Dennis Schroder makes driving layup	28	24
34.1	Jake LaRavia misses driving layup	28	24
31.4	Malik Monk defensive rebound	28	24
14.4	Doug McDermott misses 23-foot three point jumper	28	24
9.8	Jarred Vanderbilt defensive rebound	28	24
0.9	LeBron James makes 22-foot pullup jump shot	30	24
0.0	End of the 1st Quarter	30	24

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Game Information

Time, Location & Referees

Venue

crypto.com Arena

Los Angeles, CA

Date & Time

2:30 AM, December 29, 2025

Coverage

Spectrum Sports Net, Spectrum Sports Net +, NBC Sports CA, NBA League Pass

Attendance

18,997

Referees

James Williams, CJ Washington, Scott Twardoski

2025-26 Pacific Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
LA Lakers	38	25	.603	W1
Phoenix	36	27	.571	W1
Golden State	32	30	.516	W1
LA Clippers	30	32	.484	L1
Sacramento	14	50	.219	L3

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Luka Doncic and LeBron James combine for 68 points, Lakers end skid with 125-101 win over Kings

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