The Los Angeles Lakers keep rolling, with the storied NBA franchise now having won seven of their first nine games they’ve played so far to get the 2026-27 campaign underway.

On Wednesday, Luka Doncic and company went up against a struggling Sacramento Kings squad desperate to turn things around, with the division rivals winning only one game thus far, putting them at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

Even though the Kings put up a fight at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, they were ultimately no match for a red-hot Lakers team, with arguably the league's best player leading the way.

The Lakers won their third straight, coming out on top against the Kings, 116-103.

Here are my three takeaways from another solid victory for the purple and gold.

No. 3: Better Ball Security Made Meaningful Difference

One of the main issues for the Lakers early in this season has been turnovers, with Doncic and Austin Reaves turning the ball over at an alarming rate. 

Although the backcourt duo’s turnovers have stood out, with Doncic currently averaging 5.1 per game and Reaves coming in at 4.1 after Wednesday’s win, it isn’t all on them, as it has been a problem the entire team has had issues with.

Fortunately, in the win over the Kings, the Lakers limited turnovers to 12 and outscored Sacramento 23-8 on points off turnovers; it was an encouraging step toward addressing that problem.

However, having success against the Kings doesn’t say much, as they are in contention to be one of the league's worst teams this season.

The real test will be the next two games, facing the Portland Trail Blazers for a second time this season on Friday and taking on Cade Cunningham’s Detroit Pistons on the road at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday.

No. 2: Walker Kessler’s Impact Goes Well Beyond Catching Lobs

I’ve been a bit critical of new Lakers center Walker Kessler over the course of the first couple of weeks of the season, as I anticipated him to have more of an offensive game outside of being a dominant lob threat.

Kessler isn’t a polished post scorer, nor does he shoot jumpers or stretch the floor, but I’m starting to think that doesn’t matter as much as I once believed.

The 25-year-old’s impact comes on the defensive end of the floor, where he continues to prove he’s an elite defender and perhaps exactly what the Lakers wanted him to be when they took the risk of giving up substantial draft capital, two first-round draft picks, in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz.

Walker Kessler vs Kings:

15 PTS 8 REB 4 BLK 3 STL 76.8 TS% pic.twitter.com/b00IvvLzKp

— Laker Performances (@LALPerformance) November 5, 2026

With every passing game, Kessler is getting more and more comfortable on this new-look Lakers squad, as he’s filling up the stat sheet and showing what he can do for this team.

Kessler finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and three steals in Wednesday’s game.

The defensive-minded center is now averaging a double-double, putting up 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 1.3 steals and 1.1 assists per game, shooting 71.8% from the field.

So far, the Lakers’ top offseason acquisition has been as advertised.

No. 1: Luka’s Scoring Surge Keeps Powering the Lakers

The scoring surge continues for Luka Doncic!

LUKA DROPS 40 FOR A THIRD-STRAIGHT TIME 😂🔥

40 IS REGULAR FOR LUKA DONCIC. MVP CAMPAIGN CONTINUES 💰 pic.twitter.com/U9wTZRIxgQ

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 5, 2026

It seems that nothing can slow the Slovenian superstar down, as he once again put on a stellar scoring performance, finishing with 40 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, which included hitting six shots from beyond the arc.

It was his third consecutive 40-point game and fifth this season.

Doncic has been as consistent as ever with his all-around performances while moving up the ranks with scoring milestones every night that he’s on the basketball floor sporting the purple and gold.

Number of 40+ PTS, 5+ AST, 5+ REB & 5+ 3PM Games before turning 28:

44 — Luka Doncic
39 — Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade & Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Combined pic.twitter.com/RYtwCrC5v8

— Kalshi NBA (@KalshiNBA) November 5, 2026

The 27-year-old superstar keeps getting mentioned in the same breath as some of the greatest scorers of all time, including Lakers legends Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain.

Luka Doncic's 308 points are the most scored by a player in his first 8 games of a season since Wilt Chamberlain 418 in 1962-63 https://t.co/tyFYnXmeVK

— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) November 5, 2026

As long as he can stay healthy, the sky is the limit for Doncic, as he may be well on his way to having a historic season in his third year with the Lakers.

Next Up: Lakers Face Tough Challenge in Rematch vs. Blazers

The Blazers were the first team to hand the Lakers a loss this season, and on Friday, Doncic and company will get an opportunity to fire back, taking on Damian Lillard and his 6-1 squad at Crypto.com Arena for an NBA Cup matchup in Los Angeles.