Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Luka Doncic scored 33 points as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated his former Mavericks side 116-110 Saturday, in another triumphant return to Dallas for the Slovenian superstar. Doncic — who earned cheers as he stepped onto the Texas court where he was beloved by fans for seven successful years — also grabbed 8 rebounds and handed out 11 assists. It was Doncic’s second return to his former Mavericks home since he was traded away in a hugely controversial February 2025 deal, and he is now 4-0 in all meetings against his former team. The latest win snapped the Mavericks’ season-best streak of four straight victories — a form that contrasts with the Lakers, who had lost six of their previous nine outings. Doncic said the Dallas stadium is “always a special place for me,” joking that at half-time he had begun “going to the other tunnel…I was kind of confused.”
The game opened with veteran superstar LeBron James scoring at one end and 2025 draft first overall pick Cooper Flagg — 22 years his junior – responding immediately at the other. Early in the game, Doncic became the youngest player in NBA history to score his 1,500th career three-pointer. The Lakers led 65-52 at half-time and threatened to pull clear with a 13-point gap, before Dallas scored 16 without reply. The game swung wildly as the Mavericks extended a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, before yet another Lakers surge. James closed the lead to nine with a steal, a sprint up-court, and thumping slam dunk, and a Rui Hachimura three-pointer put the Lakers back in front with just over two minutes remaining.
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Elsewhere on Saturday, the New York Knicks edged a contentious clash with the Philadelphia 76ers 112-109, as Jalen Brunson poured in 31 points to help get his team’s season back on track. The Knicks will hope they have turned a corner with back-to-back wins, after a 54-point blowout victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday ended a slump that saw them drop nine of 12 games. New York clung to a three-point lead in the final 10 seconds as the Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey missed a three-pointer under pressure before OG Anunoby stole the ball from Joel Embiid. On both occasions, Philadelphia’s claims of an intentional foul were rejected by officials.
“Composure…we don’t make it easy on ourselves, but I liked the way we fought,” said Brunson, when asked how his team survived the tense final moments. “Obviously we had a slump and worked our way through it. It happened, and now we just got to keep on climbing.” Sixers center Embiid — the game’s top scorer with 38 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists — told reporters that both he and Maxey had been “fouled for sure.” Cameroonian-American star Embiid was dominant in the first half, scoring 28 points to hand the 76ers a 64-60 halftime lead. But the Knicks surged back, outscoring the Sixers 30-13 in a third quarter in which Embiid was denied a single point. The Knicks built a 17-point advantage before 11 points without reply for Philadelphia in the fourth quarter set up a tense finish.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors’ visit to the Minnesota Timberwolves was suspended until Sunday, after federal immigration agents shot dead a man in Minneapolis, sparking fresh protests. “The decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community,” said an NBA statement. The Wizards-Hornets game began earlier than originally scheduled due to a massive winter storm sweeping across the United States. The game in Charlotte ended in a 119-115 victory for the hosts.
© 2024 AFP
