LeBron James poured in 42 points to join Michael Jordan as the only 40-year-olds to score 40 points in an NBA game as the host Los Angeles Lakers notched a 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night/Friday morning.
James also grabbed a season-best 17 rebounds to go with eight assists and six 3-pointers in an epic performance as the Lakers won their fourth straight game and 10th in their past 12.
Austin Reaves added 23 points and Nigerian star Gabe Vincent scored 15 on five 3-pointers for the Lakers. Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes had 11 points apiece and Jarred Vanderbilt collected 14 rebounds.
Stephen Curry had 37 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors. Curry scored 19 points in the fourth quarter, when he made four 3-pointers (he finished 6 of 20 for the game). Buddy Hield and Moses Moody scored 14 points each, while Pat Spencer and Draymond Green added 13 apiece for Golden State.
Pacers 119, Clippers 112
Pascal Siakam collected 33 points and 11 rebounds and Bennedict Mathurin added 25 points as Indiana overcame a 22-point first-half deficit to win in Inglewood, California.
A 14-0 run in the last three-plus minutes completed the Pacers’ comeback. Thomas Bryant amassed 12 points and 10 rebounds, Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points and eight assists and Ben Sheppard finished with 12 points as the Pacers won for the 12th time in their past 14 road games. Indiana lost Myles Turner in the first quarter after he took a blow to the face from Mathurin.
Norman Powell and James Harden each scored 22 points for the Clippers, who saw their losing streak extend to three games. Kawhi Leonard scored 19 points for Los Angeles in a season-best 33 minutes; he had missed the opening 34 games of the season due to knee soreness.
Trail Blazers 108, Kings 102
Anfernee Simons scored 30 points and Portland made it six straight wins with a home victory over Sacramento.
Simons hit 8 of 12 3-point attempts and added six assists. He was aided by Shaedon Sharpe, who contributed 24 points off the bench, and Deandre Ayton, who posted 18 points and eight rebounds.
Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points each for the Kings, who lost for the fourth time in five games. Malik Monk contributed 21 points, and Domantas Sabonis amassed 10 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out.
Mavericks 127, Celtics 120
Klay Thompson scored 25 points and Spencer Dinwiddie added 22 off the bench as undermanned Dallas earned a road victory over Boston in a matchup of teams that met in last year’s NBA Finals.
Daniel Gafford had eight points and 15 rebounds for the Mavericks, who shot 55.7 percent from the floor (49 of 88) and ended a three-game losing streak. Anthony Davis (abdominal strain) missed his third straight game since he was acquired by the Mavericks.
Jaylen Brown tossed in a team-high 25 points for the Celtics, who received 21 points from Payton Pritchard and 17 points apiece from Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis.
Timberwolves 127, Rockets 114
Anthony Edwards scored 41 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished six assists, and Minnesota rallied for a win over Houston in Minneapolis.
Edwards was coming off a 49-point night on Wednesday, and Minnesota has won back-to-back contests. Rookie Jaylen Clark scored a career-high 17 points off the bench, and Naz Reid (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Rudy Gobert (13 points, 10 rebounds) each finished with a double-double.
Jalen Green scored 28 points to lead the Rockets, who lost their season-worst fifth straight game. Alperen Sengun collected 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore also tallied 16 points apiece.
Nuggets 112, Magic 90
Nikola Jokic contributed 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds and Michael Porter Jr. finished with 30 points as host Denver beat Orlando.
Jokic’s triple-double was his NBA-leading 24th of the season, while Porter has hit 30 points in three straight games. Christian Braun scored 16 points and Aaron Gordon contributed 11 for Denver, which improved to 10-1 on the second night of back-to-back games. The Nuggets have won five straight games.
Wendall Carter Jr. scored 19 points, Paolo Banchero added 18 and Franz Wagner had 14 points for the Magic, who finished 1-5 on their road trip.
Reuters
