Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Luka Doncic scored 41 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 119-95 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday as the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder kept rolling. Austin Reaves added 25 points and eight assists, while Deandre Ayton chipped in 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who wrapped up a five-game road trip and headed home hoping to see superstar LeBron James make his season debut soon.
Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Bucks, adding five assists and a blocked shot. However, after connecting on just 10 of their 41 shot attempts in the first half, the Bucks couldn’t regroup. The Lakers led by as many as 31, drilling 13 three-pointers and out-rebounding the Bucks 47-39. Milwaukee made 11 of their 15 three-pointers in the second half, but even as the Bucks’ shooting improved, the Lakers had an answer for every run they made.
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Both teams were playing the second leg of back-to-backs, and Doncic admitted he’d be glad to get home after a week on the road. “We played a lot of games,” he said. “But everybody played amazingly, the way we found energy. I told the guys we’ve got to build on each other because I know everybody’s tired (but) we came here to win.” James, who has been sidelined by sciatica, didn’t accompany the Lakers on the trip but instead practiced with the team’s G League affiliate as he ramps up preparations to launch his unprecedented 23rd NBA season.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer could be on the floor as soon as Tuesday, when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz. “We can’t wait,” Doncic said this week. “All of us can’t wait.”
In Charlotte, NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points in less than 30 minutes on the floor to lead the Thunder to a fifth straight win. Forward Chet Holmgren scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Thunder, who improved their league-best record to 13-1. After the Hornets erased a three-point halftime deficit, knotting the score at 57-57, the Thunder unleashed a 16-1 scoring run to seize a 15-point lead. They led by 20 before taking a 17-point advantage into the fourth.
Even with Gilgeous-Alexander resting for the entire fourth quarter, the Hornets—who were without LaMelo Ball—could not reduce the deficit to single digits. “We had a nice response out of half-time,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We didn’t play our best game in the first half and we course-corrected nicely and made some adjustments to what we were doing, and it was helpful in the third.”
In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 14 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers rallied for a 108-100 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Cavs trailed much of the way and were down by as many as 11 in the third quarter, but they outscored the Grizzlies 32-16 in the final frame. Evan Mobley scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 26 points, but star point guard Ja Morant had just seven before exiting with a sore right calf after playing less than six minutes.
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