Luka Doncic scored 31 of his 45 points in the first half of his highly anticipated Dallas homecoming as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Mavericks 112-97 on Wednesday.
LeBron James posted 27 points and seven boards, and Rui Hachimura added 15 points as the Lakers bolstered their grip on the third spot in the Western Conference.
Naji Marshall contributed 23 points and eight assists for the Mavericks. Anthony Davis — in his first game for Dallas against his old side — finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. The Mavericks secured a Western Conference play-in spot later Wednesday night when the Phoenix Suns lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Doncic, traded from Dallas to Los Angeles for Davis as part of a blockbuster deal on Feb. 2, became emotional during a pregame video tribute. He then received deafening applause when his name was called during the starting lineup announcements.
Nuggets 124, Kings 116
A day removed from the surprise firing of coach Michael Malone, Denver pulled out of a four-game losing streak with a road win over Sacramento.
Denver, playing its first game under interim coach David Adelman, led almost the entire way in a game crucial for the Nuggets’ postseason positioning. The Nuggets have the same record as the Clippers but Denver is fourth and Los Angeles is fifth due to a tiebreaker.
Nikola Jokic furthered his pursuit of becoming just the third player ever to average a triple-double for a season, posting 20 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists vs. the Kings. Zach LaVine scored a game-high 27 points for Sacramento.
Thunder 125, Suns 112
Jalen Williams scored 33 points to lead Oklahoma City to a road win over Phoenix.
With their spot as the top seed in the Western Conference long secured, and playing the second night of a back-to-back, the Thunder gave a night off to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace.
The Suns took their eighth consecutive loss and were eliminated from contention for the Western Conference play-in tournament. Bradley Beal led Phoenix with 25 points while Devin Booker added 20 points and 14 assists.
Clippers 134, Rockets 117
James Harden scored 35 points and Ivica Zubac added 20 in his first career triple-double as Los Angeles topped Houston in Inglewood, Calif.
Kawhi Leonard scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Nicolas Batum had 15 points for the Clippers before departing at halftime with right groin soreness. Zubac added 11 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists while Harden had 10 assists.
Reed Sheppard scored 20 points and Jeff Green added 19 for the short-handed Rockets, who rested multiple starters a day after clinching the No. 2 spot in the West.
Raptors 126, Hornets 96
Rookie Jonathan Mogbo recorded his first career triple-double as Toronto completed its home schedule with a victory over Charlotte.
Mogbo finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, and reserve Jared Rhoden added 23 points for the Raptors, who won their second game in a row. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes had 17 points and 11 rebounds, A.J. Lawson scored 14 points, RJ Barrett contributed 11 points, Jamison Battle put up 10 points and Orlando Robinson had nine points and 12 rebounds.
Nick Smith Jr. had 28 points and 10 assists for the Hornets, who have lost 10 of 11. Jusuf Nurkic added 26 points and nine rebounds. Charlotte reserve Taj Gibson played in his 1,000th NBA game and had two points, five rebounds and two blocked shots in 18 minutes.
Magic 96, Celtics 76
Franz Wagner scored 23 points and Cole Anthony finished with 18 as Orlando extended its winning streak to four games by earning a home victory against undermanned Boston.
Wagner has scored at least 20 points in each of his last 12 games. Anthony and Wagner each collected eight rebounds in the win. Paolo Banchero added 15 points for the Magic. The victory allowed Orlando to clinch the No. 7 seed for the play-in tournament. Orlando will be at home against the No. 8 seed Tuesday night. The winner will open the Eastern Conference playoffs against Boston, which is locked into the No. 2 seed.
The Celtics used a makeshift lineup and rested starters Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White. Al Horford didn’t suit up either since the Celtics were playing their second game in as many nights. Baylor Scheierman and Payton Pritchard each tossed in a team-high 15 points for the Celtics, who were held to their lowest point total of the season.
76ers 122, Wizards 103
Jeff Dowtin Jr. scored a career-high 30 points and Lonnie Walker IV added 24 to help visiting Philadelphia snap a 12-game losing streak with a victory over Washington.
Quentin Grimes overcame a brutal start to finish with 17 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the 76ers. Rookie Adem Bona collected 17 points and nine rebounds.
Tristan Vukcevic scored a career-high 24 points off the bench and Justin Champagnie contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Wizards took their fourth loss in a row.
Bulls 119, Heat 111
Josh Giddey finished with 28 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season and Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and 11 boards to boost Chicago to a win over visiting Miami.
The Bulls pulled a game ahead of the Heat for the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference with next week’s play-in tournament looming. A flurry midway through the third quarter helped Chicago lead by as many as 14 points before holding on. The Bulls overcame 16 turnovers. Kevin Huerter added 22 points for the Bulls.
Tyler Herro scored 30 points to pace Miami, while Bam Adebayo added 18 points.
Jazz 133, Trail Blazers 126 (OT)
Rookie Kyle Filipowski set career highs with 30 points and 18 rebounds to lead Utah to a overtime victory against Portland in Salt Lake City.
Filipowski hit 13 of 17 shots, including a game-tying dunk with 2.8 seconds left in regulation, and finished with five assists and three steals as the Jazz snapped a nine-game losing streak. Utah’s Brice Sensabaugh added 22 points.
Shaedon Sharpe scored a season-high 37 points and sank a season-best six 3-pointers but didn’t play in the overtime session for the Blazers. Seven Portland players scored in double figures, including Rayan Rupert, who logged a career-best 19 points.
Spurs 114, Warriors 111
Harrison Barnes buried a buzzer-beating 3-pointer and San Antonio damaged Golden State’s bid for a top-four finish in the Western Conference with a victory in San Francisco.
With just two games remaining, Golden State dropped into the seventh spot — a play-in position — in the West, only a half-game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who did not play Wednesday. Stephen Curry had a game-high 30 points and Jimmy Butler III 28 for the Warriors.
Barnes, who had all but two of his 20 points on 3-pointers, went 6-for-9 from deep for the Spurs. Stephon Castle and Keldon Johnson paced San Antonio with 21 points apiece.
–Field Level Media
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