On October 21st, the NBA preseason continued, with the Los Angeles Lakers losing to the Sacramento Kings 116-117. Dončić scored a game-high 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists, but was unable to reverse the defeat. Kings guard Dennis Schroder contributed 25 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists to lead the Lakers to a comeback victory.

Dončić opened up the first quarter, contributing 13 points, but the Kings relied on a steady offense to take a 36-34 lead. In the second quarter, the Lakers adjusted their rhythm, and Vincent's three-pointers from the outside led the team to a counterattack, leading the Lakers 61-58 at halftime .

At the start of the second half, the Lakers briefly extended their lead to double digits. Dončić and Ayton's inside-out synergy helped the Lakers build a 90-86 lead. However, Schroder led the Lakers back, hitting consecutive clutch shots to tie the score and even take the lead in the final moments.

In the final minute of the game, Dončić hit a difficult jump shot to narrow the gap to 1 point, but the Lakers failed to seize the opportunity in the final attack. Schroder made two free throws to stabilize the situation. In the end, the Kings narrowly defeated the Lakers 117-116 .

Kings player statistics

Schroeder 25 points, 3 rebounds , 2 assists, Ellis 20 points , 2 rebounds , 2 assists, LaVine 15 points , 4 rebounds , 6 assists, Clifford 13 points , 5 rebounds , 7 assists, Eubanks 10 points , 5 rebounds , 4 assists, Jones 10 points , 3 rebounds , 2 assists, Saric 10 points, 6 rebounds

Lakers player statistics

Doncic 31 points, 5 rebounds , 9 assists, Hachimura 18 points , 1 rebound , 1 assist, Vincent 14 points , 2 assists, Smart 14 points , 3 rebounds , 2 assists, Ayton 12 points, 9 rebounds , 2 assists, Reeves 8 points , 4 rebounds , 8 assists, Hayes 6 points , 4 rebounds, Knecht 5 points , 1 rebound