Luka Doncic had 32 points and 10 rebounds, LeBron James scored 25 points and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers beat the Nuggets 123-100 on Saturday night to end Denver’s nine-game winning streak.
Doncic logged 31 minutes in his fourth game since being traded to Los Angeles, which won for just the second time in its last 15 games against Denver, including the playoffs. Austin Reaves scored 23 points and Rui Hachimura contributed 21 points for the Lakers. Los Angeles has won 14 of 18.
Nikola Jokic had 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his 26th triple-doubles, but also committed six of the Nuggets’ 20 turnovers. Aaron Gordon scored 24 points, Jamal Murray added 19, Russell Westbrook finished with 17, Michael Porter Jr. scored 13 and Christian Braun contributed 10.
The Lakers led 63-54 at halftime behind 19 points from Doncic. They also capitalized on 12 Denver turnovers that led to 23 points.
Nets 105, 76ers 103
Nic Claxton put in an offensive rebound at the buzzer as Brooklyn slipped past host Philadelphia.
After Tyrese Maxey tied it with a 3-pointer, the Nets opted not to call timeout. Brooklyn’s Keon Johnson missed a 3-pointer from the wing with two seconds remaining, but Claxton hustled to the rebound, caught it in mid-air along the left side of the lane and shot it in as the horn sounded.
Cameron Johnson led Brooklyn with 23 points and Claxton added 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks for the Nets, who have won seven of their last nine. Maxey paced the Sixers with 31 points and Joel Embiid had 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field as Philadelphia lost its seventh in a row.
Trail Blazers 141, Hornets 88
Anfernee Simons scored 25 points as Portland posted the largest winning margin in franchise history with a steamrolling of visiting Charlotte.
Toumani Camara recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and Shaedon Sharpe scored 20 points off the bench as Portland surpassed its 50-point victory over the Cavaliers (129-79) on Nov. 21, 1982. The Trail Blazers snapped a four-game losing streak and have won 16 of the last 17 matchups at home.
Miles Bridges scored 17 points for the Hornets, while Charlotte star LaMelo Ball had just five points on 1-of-10 shooting. Nick Smith Jr. scored 14 points, Jusuf Nurkic had 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench and Mark Williams had 10 points. The Hornets have lost 13 of their last 16 games.
Jazz 124, Rockets 115
Keyonte George hit five 3-pointers and scored 30 points to lift Utah past Houston in Salt Lake City.
Lauri Markkanen broke out of a slump, scoring 23 points with 10 rebounds, and Walker Kessler hauled in 17 rebounds with 11 points, three assists and two blocked shots for Utah, which bounced back from a 23-point loss to Oklahoma City on Friday night.
Alperen Sengun totaled 27 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets, also playing in the second game of a back-to-back after beating Minnesota in Houston on Friday night.
Suns 121, Bulls 117
Devin Booker scored 29 points, Kevin Durant added 27 points and 10 rebounds, and visiting Phoenix snapped a four-game skid by beating Chicago.
Bradley Beal added 25 points in his return to the starting lineup for Phoenix, which took its first lead late in the second quarter and never trailed in the second half. Nick Richards added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Mason Plumlee had 10 points off the bench.
Chicago lost its season-high sixth straight game despite mounting a late rally in the fourth quarter. The Bulls trailed by eight before using a 10-2 run to tie the game at 111 with 2:22 left in regulation.
–Field Level Media
