Los Angeles (AFP) – LeBron James returned from a one-game absence to post a 23-point triple-double on Wednesday and lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 136-124 NBA victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
James sat out the Lakers’ come-from-behind double-overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday with a sore left ankle. Anthony Davis, who played nearly 52 minutes on Tuesday, was sidelined with a hyperextended left knee, but Rui Hachimura provided a big lift, drilling seven of eight three-point attempts on the way to 32 points with 10 rebounds to help the Lakers win their fifth straight, as they vie to work their way out of the play-in tournament and straight into the playoffs.
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Against a Grizzlies team playing out a season blighted by injuries, the Lakers led by eight at halftime and never trailed after the break. James added 14 rebounds and 12 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season. The 39-year-old superstar, who said he’d have to be “strategic” in dealing with the ankle injury that has nagged him much of the season, said he didn’t change his game because of Davis’s absence. “Read and react to the game, see how the defense is playing and seeing the rhythm of my guys,” he said of his approach. “It’s good to be back out there with them and be able to do a lot of things tonight to help us win.”
The Golden State Warriors, fueled by 23 points from Andrew Wiggins and two late baskets by Stephen Curry, beat the Magic 101-93 in Orlando, despite the ejection of Draymond Green just 3min 36sec into the contest. Curry was left shaking his head when Green was tossed, receiving two quick technical fouls for heatedly arguing a foul call. It was the fourth ejection of the season for Green, who missed 16 games after he was suspended in December for swinging an arm into the head of Suns center Jusuf Nurkic. Curry was clearly frustrated at the incident, shaking his head and pulling his jersey over his face. But the Warriors, who maintained their tenuous hold on the final play-in berth in the Western Conference, regrouped to finish the first quarter with a 27-11 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. “Too bad,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Green’s ejection. “It was unfortunate. He deserved it and he’ll bounce back. I’m just proud of the guys for stepping up.” The Warriors led by 15 midway through the third quarter, but that had dwindled to six heading into the fourth and the Magic cut the lead to one with 2:41 to play. Gary Payton II’s layup gave the Warriors a bit of breathing room before Curry drove for a hook shot with 1:09 remaining to make it 98-93. Curry followed with a step-back three-pointer that sealed the victory with 33.8 seconds remaining, following up his familiar “night-night” celebration with an emotional kick of a court-side chair. Wiggins, who scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, also came up with a big block of a Franz Wagner shot in the waning seconds.
– Rockets keep rolling –
Cole Anthony scored 26 points off the bench to lead the Magic, but the Warriors improved to 7-0 when holding opponents to less than 100 points. The Warriors maintained a one-game lead over the Houston Rockets for 10th place in the West. But the Rockets kept the pressure on for the last play-in spot with a 132-126 overtime victory over the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder that stretched Houston’s winning streak to 10 games. The Thunder, chasing the reigning champion Denver Nuggets for top spot in the West, were without star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was sidelined with a right quadriceps contusion. Josh Giddey carried the load in his absence, scoring 31 points. But Houston’s Jalen Green led all scorers with 37 points and the Rockets out-scored the Thunder 20-14 in overtime to seal the win.
The New York Knicks continued their push for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 145-101 thrashing of the Raptors in Toronto. The victory, coupled with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 118-111 loss to the Hornets in Charlotte, gave the Knicks sole possession of third place in the East.
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