James, Lakers win showdown with Antetokounmpo, Bucks 113-103
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James had 37 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to win his showdown with fellow All-Star Game captain Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 113-103 on Friday night in a clash of the NBA's conference leaders.
Anthony Davis scored 14 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Lakers split their season series with the league-leading Bucks (53-10).
Los Angeles was carried to its 10th win in 11 games overall largely by a superb performance from James, who scored 14 points in the third quarter and then kept LA ahead down the stretch. James capped his night with a one-handed spinning dunk with 27 seconds left, sparking the last of many “M-V-P!” chants for him at Staples Center.
Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 12 rebounds for the Bucks, who have lost two of three games for the first time since October. Donte DiVincenzo scored 17 points for Milwaukee, which has still won seven of nine overall.
PELICANS 110, HEAT 104
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram overcame a poor shooting performance that included missing 15 of his first 17 shots by scoring five points in the final 62 seconds to help the Pelicans hold off the Miami Heat.
The Pelicans, who led by as many as 15 in the fourth quarter, snapped a three-game losing streak. Miami had its four-game winning streak halted.
Jrue Holiday led the Pelicans with 20 points, and Josh Hart came off the bench to finish with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Zion Williamson added 17 points and Lonzo Ball added 16, including four straight when the Pelicans’ fourth-quarter lead was slipping away. Ball also had nine rebounds and eight assists.
Miami got a game-high 26 points from Jimmy Butler and 24 from rookie Duncan Robinson, who had eight 3-pointers and has 233 this season — the most by an undrafted player during a single season in NBA history.
DALLAS (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Luka Doncic added 21 points as the Mavericks beat the Grizzlies.
It was Porzingis’ fifth straight game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who quickly built on a 12-point halftime lead, dominated the third quarter 34-16 and improved to 14 games over .500 for the first time this season. Seventh in the Western Conference, they remain a half-game behind Oklahoma City.
Josh Jackson led the Grizzlies, eighth in the West, with 16 points off the bench. Memphis, which failed to move over .500 for the first time since Feb. 20, came off the first back-to-back 39-point road wins in NBA history.
SUNS 127, TRAIL BLAZERS 117
PHOENIX (AP) — Aron Baynes scored a career-high 37 points on a career-best nine 3-pointers, Dario Saric added 24 points and the Suns snapped a four-game skid by beating Portland.
Baynes was 9 of 14 from long distance to tie a single-game franchise record, and was 12 of 23 overall. He also had 16 rebounds. Phoenix never trailed and made 19 3-pointers.
CJ McCollum led Portland with 25 points, and Damian Lillard had 24. Hassan Whiteside added 23 points and 20 rebounds.
NEW YORK (AP) — Caris LeVert had 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and the Nets pounded San Antonio in Gregg Popovich's return from a one-game absence.
With Julius Erving attending one of their games for the first time since they moved to Brooklyn in 2012, the Nets rang up 75 points in the first half, put eight players in double figures and led by as much as 33 in front of one of the greatest players in franchise history.
Joe Harris scored 20 points, Spencer Dinwiddie added 19 points and nine assists, and the Nets outrebounded the Spurs 51-38. LeVert, who had a career-high 51 points in a victory at Boston on Tuesday, recorded his first career triple-double.
DeMar DeRozan had 24 points and nine assists for the Spurs. Popovich missed San Antonio's game in Charlotte on Tuesday for personal business.
MAGIC 132, TIMBERWOLVES 118
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Nikola Vucevic had 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead Orlando past Minnesota, although the Magic played most of the second half without coach Steve Clifford, who left in the third quarter due to illness.
The Magic tweeted about Clifford's departure during the fourth quarter, saying the coach was being taken to a hospital for further evaluation. Assistant coach Tyrone Corbin took over in Clifford's absence.
Markelle Fultz added 24 points for the Magic, who snapped a three-game skid by shooting a season-best 60.7% from the floor, even with second-leading scorer Evan Fournier on the bench injured.
Malik Beasley led Minnesota with 29 points, including 19 in the third quarter. But the Wolves couldn’t stop Orlando’s more-balanced attack and saw their two-game winning streak ended.
BOSTON (AP) — Mike Conley made six 3-pointers and scored 25 points, Jordan Clarkson added 17 and Utah beat Boston for their fourth straight victory.
Donovan Mitchell added 11 points, and Rudy Gobert had nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks. The Jazz won their third straight at Boston, capitalizing on the short-handed Celtics’ shooting woes. Boston has lost three of four and three straight at home.
The Celtics were without injured forwards Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward. Marcus Smart led Boston with 29 points.
PACERS 108, BULLS 102
CHICAGO (AP) — Domantas Sabonis dominated with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers hung on to beat the Bulls.
The Pacers led by as much as 23 in the third quarter and withstood a big push in the fourth to win for the fifth time in six games. They also moved back into a tie with Philadelphia for fifth place in the Eastern Conference, even though they were missing two of their top three scorers with T.J. Warren (sore left leg) and Malcolm Brogdon (sore left hip) sidelined.
Chicago lost for the 12th time in 14 games despite rookie Coby White scoring 26 points and Shaquille Harrison setting a career high with 25.
NEW YORK (AP) — Danilo Gallinari scored 22 points in 27 minutes and was one of six Oklahoma City players to finish in double figures as the Thunder routed the Knicks.
Chris Paul added 21 points and 12 assists for Oklahoma City, which has won two straight and seven of 10. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 points. Dennis Schroder and Hamidou Diallo had 16 and 12, respectively, off the bench, and Steven Adams contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite an 18-point performance from Elfrid Payton, New York has dropped consecutive games, and has lost eight of 10.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bradley Beal scored 35 points and the Wizards held off the Hawks.
Beal was 13 of 21 from the field, going 7 of 10 from 3-point range. The Wizards were 15 of 31 on 3s. Davis Bertans added 17 points, and Jerome Robinson had 14 for Washington.
Rookie Cam Reddish scored a career-high 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting for Atlanta. Hawks scoring leader Trae Young sat out because of flu-like symptoms. John Collins had 26 points and 10 rebounds.
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