The ‘Showtime’ era was a magical period of basketball for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they put together a spectacle on the court on a nightly basis. On the way to five championships, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar conquered the rest of the league, ranking atop the elite in the NBA.
On Feb. 4, 1987, the Lakers had a remarkable first quarter on the way to a blowout victory over the Sacramento Kings. Los Angeles owned a 34-11 record at the time, while Sacramento was a dismal 14-31.
The game got underway under the bright lights of the Great Western Forum, with the Lakers never looking back from tip off. After 12 minutes passed, they held a ridiculous 40-4 lead.
The defensive effort was part of an NBA record as the Kings’ four points were an all-time low for a single quarter in the shot clock era, which began in 1954.
The Kings rebounded with a 31-point second quarter, but they also allowed the Lakers to score 31 as well. With a 71-35 halftime lead, the Lakers would step off the gas pedal coming out of halftime, allowing their stars a chance to rest.
A 32-22 third quarter shrank the lead down to 26 points, but still the Kings still remained too far out of striking distance. With Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy only playing 23 minutes, some of the lesser-known players on the roster got an opportunity to make an impact.
The bench unit of the Lakers would outscore the Kings 35-25 in the fourth, capping off the 128-92 victory. Byron Scott finished with a team-high 21 points, while Reggie Theus led the Kings with 25 points.
1987 Laker would go on to win championship
That Lakers team was one of the most dominant in NBA history, going 65-17 in the regular season to earn the No. 1 seed in the West and then going 15-3 in the playoffs to win the championship.
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