The Canadian Press
LeBron nets 25, Lakers edge Thunder for 3rd straight OT win
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James hit the tying 3-pointer late in regulation and then broke up the Thunder’s final possession in overtime to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their sixth consecutive victory, 114-113 over Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. James had 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the defending NBA champions, who survived their third consecutive overtime game. Montrezl Harrell scored 20 points, and Dennis Schröder had 19 points and seven rebounds. Al Horford scored 25 points and Kenrich Williams had a career-high 24 for the Thunder, who excelled at Staples Center despite having just eight available players for back-to-back narrow losses to the Lakers. James hit a tying 3-pointer with 19.6 seconds to play in regulation, and Wesley Matthews hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer for the Lakers with 41.4 seconds left in overtime. SUNS 125, BUCKS 124 PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker scored 30 points, Chris Paul added 28 and Phoenix extended its winning streak to four games by rallying past Milwaukee. Milwaukee had its five-game winning streak snapped despite getting a season-high 47 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks had a chance to win it on the final possession, but Antetokounmpo missed a 20-foot jumper at the buzzer. The Suns have won seven of eight and have a 15-9 record. Phoenix struggled to slow the Bucks’ offence, especially in the first three quarters. Milwaukee has scored at least 120 points in every game over their past six. Bryn Forbes, who was making just his second start of the season, made 5 of 6 3-pointers. BULLS 129, PELICANS 116 CHICAGO (AP) — Zach LaVine scored a season-high 46 points, hitting nine of Chicago’s franchise-record 25 3-pointers, and the Bulls cooled off New Orleans. Coby White made eight 3s and scored 30 points in an impressive show by Chicago’s starting backcourt. The Bulls went 25 for 47 from beyond the arc and shot 59% (48 for 81) overall. Zion Williamson had 29 points for New Orleans, which had won four in a row. Brandon Ingram finished with 21 points on 6-for-19 shooting. Lonzo Ball scored 19 of his 21 points in the first half. New Orleans led 74-66 at the break despite Chicago setting a franchise record with 14 3s in the first half. MAVERICKS 118, HAWKS 117 DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic had 28 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds and Dallas rallied to beat the Hawks, a week after ending a six-game losing streak in Atlanta. The Mavericks kept the ball out of Trae Young’s hands on an inbound play with 4.7 seconds remaining, and Danilo Gallinari’s jumper just before the buzzer was short. Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce thought Young was fouled setting a screen on the final play when Willie Cauley-Stein ran into him, and said Young getting knocked down interrupted the intended play. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to spark the comeback, starting with a quarter-opening 3 to get the Mavericks within six after they trailed by 13 in the third. Dallas won its third straight and fourth in five games. John Collins scored 33 points, and Young had 25 points and 15 assists for the Hawks. They have lost four of five in a stretch that included a 122-116 Dallas win in Atlanta that ended the Mavericks’ longest skid since 2019. NETS 104, PACERS 94 NEW YORK (AP) — Kyrie Irving had 35 points and eight assists and Brooklyn was defensively dominant in the first half in shutting down Indiana to snap a three-game losing streak. A night after an embarrassing effort in Detroit, when the Nets yielded 38 points in the first quarter, the Pacers didn’t reach that total until 8:46 remained in the third. Irving was 17 for 17 from the throw line, career highs in both categories, and Brooklyn led by as many as 36 points. James Harden added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets, who expect to get Kevin Durant back from his three-game absence for coronavirus health and safety protocol reasons when they open a five-game trip to the West on Saturday at Golden State, his former team. Domantas Sabonis had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers. They have lost four in a row. CLIPPERS 119, TIMBERWOLVES 112 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kawhi Leonard had a season-high 36 points and Lou Williams added 27 points in Los Angeles’ victory over Minnesota. Leonard and Williams hit shots down the stretch, including a pair of late 3-pointers by Leonard, to thwart Minnesota’s comeback try. Los Angeles snapped its first two-game losing streak of the season. Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 10 rebounds in his return to action after missing 13 games. Towns announced on Jan. 15 that he tested positive for COVID-19 and remained on the league’s health and safety protocol list until Wednesday, when coach Ryan Saunders said Towns was a game-time decision. Naz Reid led Minnesota with 23 points. NUGGETS 133, CAVALIERS 95 DENVER (AP) — Paul Millsap scored a season-high 22 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 19 and Denver routed Cleveland to snap a three-game skid. The Nuggets opened a 23-point lead in the first half, saw it increase to 34 in the third — notoriously a problem quarter for them this season — and coasted from there as Nikola Jokic and his fellow starters got the fourth quarter off. Jokic had 12 points and 12 assists. Jarrett Allen had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers. RAPTORS 137, WIZARDS 115 WASHINGTON (AP) — Norman Powell scored 28 points, Pascal Siakam added 26 and Toronto made 19 3-pointers in its victory over Washington. Seven Raptors hit at least one 3-pointer, with Kyle Lowry leading the way with 5-for-9 shooting from deep. He finished with 21 points. Toronto shot 59% from long range (19 for 32). NBA leading scorer Bradley Beal had 24 points for Washington. Russell Westbrook had 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds. GRIZZLIES 130, HORNETS 114 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Kyle Anderson hit a career-high six of Memphis’ franchise-record 23 3-pointers and scored 27 points to help the Grizzlies beat Charlotte to snap a four-game losing streak. Dillon Brooks added 20 points, Desmond Bane and Grayson Allen scored 18 each, and Ja Morant had 15 points and 11 assists. Terry Rozier led the Hornets with 34 points, connecting on 12 of 17 shots. LaMelo Ball added 17 points, and Gordon Hayward and Malcolm Bridges added 15 points apiece. Bridges had 10 rebounds. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
