LeBron James capped one of his most remarkable triple-double performances with two free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining in the second overtime on Saturday night, giving the Los Angeles Lakers a 145-144 win over the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.
James played 48 of the game’s 58 minutes, recording a career-high 20 rebounds to go with 36 points and 12 assists for his 110th career triple-double.
His free throws came following a drive to the hoop after Stephen Curry had given Golden State a 144-143 lead on a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left. Curry finished the night with nine 3-pointers and a game-high 46 points.
The nationally televised victory came on a night when it appeared the Lakers, opening a six-game trip, were destined for bad news when Anthony Davis walked gingerly to the locker room in the third quarter, having suffered what appeared to be a serious hip injury.
However, Davis reappeared in the fourth quarter and, while limping noticeably at game’s end, completed a 29-point, 13-rebound double-double in 45 minutes. He also had four blocks.
Spurs 113, Timberwolves 112
Devin Vassell scored 25 points, Victor Wembanyama added 23 points and 10 rebounds and Keldon Johnson hit the game-winning free throw as San Antonio roared back from 15 points down to stun visiting Minnesota.
Following a timeout after Johnson missed the second free throw, the Timberwolves had a chance to win the game, but Karl-Anthony Towns’ step-back 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards led all scorers with 32 points and dished out 12 assists. Rudy Gobert and Towns added 19 points apiece.
Bucks 141, Pelicans 117
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and 12 rebounds and host Milwaukee rode a major offensive turnaround to a rout of New Orleans in a matchup of teams completing sets of back-to-back games.
Three teammates joined Antetokounmpo with at least 20 points, as Damian Lillard added 26, Brook Lopez had 24 and Bobby Portis scored 20 off the bench. Cameron Payne added 11 points off the bench, and the Bucks scored 41 more points than they had in a 12-point loss to Cleveland on Friday.
Brandon Ingram scored 26 points, Zion Williamson had 23 and Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans, who lost at home to Oklahoma City on Friday.
Wizards 118, Pistons 104
Kyle Kuzma scored 30 points and Washington snapped a six-game losing streak by defeating host Detroit.
Jordan Poole contributed 17 points for the Wizards, who outscored Detroit 31-19 in the fourth quarter. Daniel Gafford had 15 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and nabbed three steals.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 30 points. Cade Cunningham had 20 points and 12 assists but also committed seven turnovers. Cunningham missed the previous eight games with a left knee strain.
Knicks 125, Heat 109
Jalen Brunson poured in 32 points as New York extended its winning streak to six games with a win over visiting Miami.
Brunson scored nine of his points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter to help New York open up a 112-96 lead that Miami couldn’t overcome. He also dished out eight assists and grabbed five rebounds for the game.
Jimmy Butler finished with 28 points and eight rebounds as the Heat dropped their sixth straight game. Duncan Robinson hit five 3-pointers and recorded 19 points, while Tyler Herro had 18 points.
Nuggets 111, 76ers 105
Nikola Jokic had 26 points and 16 rebounds, Jamal Murray scored 23 points and host Denver beat short-handed Philadelphia.
Reigning league MVP Joel Embiid was a late scratch for the 76ers due to knee soreness. He went through his pregame warmup, but ESPN reported that the training staff ruled him out. It is the fourth straight time Embiid has sat out a game in Denver. Paul Reed scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Sixers.
The Nuggets struggled to beat depleted Philadelphia but pulled away late. Michael Porter Jr. had 20 points and Aaron Gordon scored 18 for Denver.
Nets 106, Rockets 104
Cam Thomas scored 37 points as Brooklyn sped out to a big lead in the first half before surviving an extremely shaky fourth quarter and holding on for a victory over Houston in New York.
Thomas moved back into the starting lineup in place of Cameron Johnson (personal reasons). He scored 22 points in the first half, when the Nets led by as many as 28.
Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green and rookie Cam Whitmore scored 19 points apiece for the Rockets, who nearly matched their win total from last season’s 22-60 mark.
Clippers 115, Celtics 96
A dominant third quarter helped Los Angeles stretch its winning streak to five games with a road victory over Boston.
Kawhi Leonard led all scorers with 26 points. Los Angeles received 18 points from Daniel Theis, 17 from Paul George and 14 from Terance Mann.
The Celtics shot 36 of 100 from the field (36 percent) and 10 of 40 from 3-point territory (25 percent). Jayson Tatum tossed in a team-high 21 points and had 11 rebounds, but Boston’s other starters combined for 17 points. Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score 12.
Jazz 134, Hornets 122
Lauri Markkanen finished with 33 points and Utah posted a record-setting first quarter in a victory over host Charlotte.
The Jazz racked up 47 points — the most in franchise history in an opening quarter — which was also the Hornets’ total at halftime. Markkanen had 26 of his points in the first half, and Collin Sexton racked up 19 of his 24 points before the break.
Reserve P.J. Washington pumped in 43 points — matching a career high — on 17-for-22 shooting while Nick Richards scored a career-high 26 points for the Hornets, who fell at home for the second straight night.
Kings 120, Mavericks 115
De’Aaron Fox scored 34 points and Sacramento kept Luka Doncic relatively quiet while notching a victory over host Dallas.
Harrison Barnes scored 20 points and Kevin Huerter added 18 as Sacramento won its third straight game. Domantas Sabonis registered 17 points and 11 boards before fouling out for the Kings.
One night after tying the fourth-highest output in NBA history with 73 points, Doncic scored 28 on 9-of-26 shooting and missed eight of his nine 3-point attempts. He also had 17 assists and 10 rebounds for his 65th career triple-double while the Mavericks lost for the fourth time in five games.
–Field Level Media