LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers continued their winning ways on Friday night at the Staples Center as they were able to spoil Luke Walton's return. Although the Sacramento Kings were able to take the game to the final possession, LeBron James and his new-look squad were able to take care of business with his new superstar teammate Anthony Davis coming through at just the right time.

It wasn't a typically dominant performance for Davis in his return to the floor after missing the team's last game against the Golden State Warriors, but a crucial block on Harrison Barnes with the buzzer sounding was all the team needed from the perennial All-Star.

 

The game-winning block from Davis was his fourth of the game as he maintained his defensive dominance in the paint. The Lakers newcomer finished with 17 points and five rebounds along with his four blocked shots and helped the Lakers improve to 10-2 on the season.

As for LeBron, the three-time NBA champion led the way offensively, especially in the second half. James hit shot after shot to keep the Lakers in the game and ultimately force the Kings into a desperation drive by Barnes with the clock ticking down. LeBron hit two clutch free throws to put the Lakers up, 99-97, and Davis did the rest on the other end.

“It definitely increases my mindset [on the defensive end],” Davis said. “When the shot's not falling, I try to do the other things to help the team win. The team was trying to get me going, I just missed some shots, and I tried to take it out on the defensive end, make plays for my team and make sure the other team couldn't score to kind of just make up for it.”

With Davis and James clicking, the Lakers continue to come out on top on a nightly basis, which has the Lakers sitting atop of the Western Conference. Los Angeles will now have two more games at home before hitting the road for a four-game trip away from Staples.

Next up for the dynamic duo is the young and talented Atlanta Hawks led by a promising young point guard, Trae Young. The Lakers will host the Hawks on Sunday before taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Los Angeles on Tuesday.