Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Luka Doncic bagged a 38-point triple-double as the Los Angeles Lakers staged a second-half rally to claim a 115-107 road victory over the Denver Nuggets in Colorado on Tuesday. The Lakers looked to be in trouble after an explosive first half from Denver, who surged into a 71-57 lead at the break thanks to 26 points from Jamal Murray.
But an improved Los Angeles defensive effort stymied Murray after half-time, and Doncic and LeBron James kept the points flowing as the Lakers fought back to claim an impressive win. Doncic finished with 38 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, while James added 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists as the Lakers outscored Denver 58-36 in the second half.
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“They were playing great basketball, Murray playing at an All-Star level… they have a lot of great players,” Doncic said. “We just stayed together and fought this out.” The Lakers improved to 26-16 with the victory while third-placed Denver fell to 29-15.
In San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors, still reeling from a season-ending knee injury sustained by Jimmy Butler on Monday, were thumped 145-127 by the Toronto Raptors. Immanuel Quickley led the Toronto scoring with 40 points in a wire-to-wire win.
In Houston, the Rockets snapped the San Antonio Spurs’ three-game winning streak, overturning a 16-point deficit to score a 111-106 win over their in-form Texas rivals. Reed Sheppard led the scoring with a blistering 21-point cameo off the bench, pouring in 12 points in the fourth quarter to drag Houston over the line. Turkish international Alperen Sengun added 20 points, and Kevin Durant finished with 18 to give Houston the win.
The Rockets trailed by 16 points in the third quarter before a 13-0 run helped them erase San Antonio’s advantage. “We had good energy the whole game,” Sheppard said. “When we cut the lead a little bit there in the fourth quarter it was just ‘keep fighting, keep staying together, we’re close, keep putting the pieces together and go on a big run.’ And that’s what we did. It was a great team effort.”
San Antonio looked to be cruising after a fast start, outscoring Houston 39-28 in the first quarter before taking a 70-60 half-time lead. But the Spurs’ shooting accuracy evaporated in the fourth quarter as they made only 7-of-28 from the field and failed to make a single three-pointer from 13 attempts. Julian Champagnie led San Antonio’s scoring with 27 points, while Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox added 14 points apiece.
In other games on Tuesday, the Chicago Bulls unleashed 25 three-pointers in a 138-110 home rout of the Los Angeles Clippers, with Coby White leading the scorers with 27 points. In Salt Lake City, Keyonte George scored 43 points to upstage a 38-point display from Anthony Edwards as the lowly Utah Jazz upset the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-122.
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