With back-to-back games in Sacramento, the Lakers began this road trip with an impressive 113-100 victory over the Kings on Thursday.

Austin Reaves led the team with 25 points, D’Angelo Russell was the flamethrower off the bench with 16 points and Anthony Davis was a sensation on both ends of the floor.

With so many good performances, it’s no surprise that Lakers coach JJ Redick said this was one of his favorite wins of the season.

So, let’s dive into victory. As always, grades are based on each player’s expectations. The grade “B” represents the average performance of that player.

Rui Hachimura

37 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3-9 FG, 1-4 3PT, 3-4 FT, +21

This was a Goldilocks game for Hachimura. It wasn’t too good or too bad, but it was exactly what the Lakers needed. He rebounded well, made his free throws and defended respectably.

Ideally, he would have shot better from 3-point range and shot closer to 50% from the field, but given how good the atmosphere was, it wasn’t a frustrating Rui game.

Grade: B

LeBron James

34 minutes, 19 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 8-21 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, +13

An 8-for-21 shooting night from LeBron isn’t efficient, but my goodness, it was fun to watch him against the Kings. He had an impressive chase down block against Keon Ellis, found his way to the basket when needed and led the team with seven assists.

Bron has looked much better since returning from his foot injury. It’s good to see him with a spring in his step and the Lakers are starting to pick up wins.

Grade: B-

Anthony Davis

35 minutes, 21 points, 19 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 6 blocks, 7-20 FG, 0-1 3PT, 7-9 FT, +19

How many more ways can we explain how exceptional AD’s play was with the 2024-25 Lakers?

What was particularly striking against the Kings, in addition to the ridiculous line of 21 points and 19 rebounds, was how many of the boards came from clearing up the offensive glass. Davis had seven offensive rebounds, more than the Kings team.

His rim protection was top notch as he registered six blocks, and while Domantas Sabonis still scored 18 points, he shut him down when it mattered most in the fourth.

Take a bow, AD. That was a world-class performance.

Grade: A+

Max Christie

28 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1-3 FG, 1-3 3PT, 5-6 FT, +17

This is Christie’s fourth consecutive start and he was once again respectable. His defense was good, aside from a few fouls he had on a few pump fakes, and he converted his free throws and rebounded well.

I still think Christie’s point total is a little too low to be a starter on a team that struggles offensively at times. However, since they are winning games, he should continue to start for Los Angeles.

Grade: B-

Austin Reaves

35 minutes, 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 7-14 FG, 3-7 3PT, 8-9 FT, +9

This may have been the Lakers’ best win of the season, but it was undeniably Reaves’ best performance of the year.

He scored 25 points from 3-point range, the charity stripe and in the paint. Asking more from Reaves would be unrealistic and greedy, but for now I think he should keep rocking the headband and see if it leads to more games like this from him.

Grade: A+

D’Angelo Russell

23 minutes, 16 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal, 1 block, 7-15 FG, 2-6 3PT, +1

First fans love Russell, then they hate him, and now they love him again. When D’Lo came off the bench for this team, he increased the offensive energy of the Lakers team. His 16 points tonight helped the team stay afloat even during difficult periods, especially in the second and third quarters.

Russell only had one assist, but he had some great passes that led to hockey assists or basket attempts that ended in fouls.

His defensive skills have always been a weakness in Russell’s game, but in Sacramento he blocked passes, finished off shooters well and even tied Sabonis on a jump ball in the fourth period. Overall it was a great game from Russell.

Grade: A

Gabe Vincent

22 minutes, 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-5 FG, 4-5 3PT, +4

We hit Vincent hard for his poor play, but he brought exactly what the Lakers needed tonight. Vincent only scored 3 points and was almost perfect with a 4:5 from distance.

He contributed to the scoring off the bench, which was difficult for the Lakers. While it’s not realistic to expect games like this from him on a regular basis, it’s nice to see Miami Heat Vicent running for the purple and gold medals.

Grade: A+

Dalton Knecht

10 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1-4 FG, 0-2 3PT, -4

Almost every Laker had a good game, but unfortunately Knecht doesn’t fall into that category. He can’t seem to buy a bucket and tonight was another game where he struggled. Maybe it’s a rookie wall or just a terrible cold streak, but it would be nice if Knecht could find his rhythm again and start making an impact.

Grade: D-

Cam Reddish

11 minutes, 0 points, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3PT, -9

It’s almost impressive how bad Reddish was for the Lakers against the Kings. He was just out there doing some cardio and didn’t play well defensively either. While Reddish is responsible for his own play, Redick takes the blame for being out so long in the first place. He had no business playing in the fourth quarter as the outcome was still in doubt.

Grade: F

Christian Koloko

There is no grade for Koloko because he only played four minutes. His short shift was disappointing anyway, with one foul and two missed shots.

JJ Redick

The Lakers played well and Redick deserves a lot of credit for that. The change in the starting lineup worked, the defensive performance is better and the team is winning games.

Aside from his Reddish minutes, he did a good job leading the Lakers to a win against a division rival.

Grade: A

Thursday’s DNPs: Armel Traore

Inactive on Thursday: Jalen Hood-Schifino, Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, Bronny James, Maxwell Lewis, Quincy Olivari

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.