New York (AFP) – LeBron James and Steph Curry served up a Christmas Day feast as their rivalry delivered another classic with the Los Angeles Lakers edging the Golden State Warriors 115-113 on Wednesday. Curry made a stunning 31-foot three-point throw with 7.1 seconds left on the clock to tie the game, only for Austin Reaves to win the game for the Lakers with a driving layup with 1.1 seconds left.
The 36-year-old Curry and James, three years his senior, had traded three-pointers down the stretch as fans were treated to a ding-dong finale from the two future Hall of Famers. James put up 31 points and ten assists without the support of teammate Anthony Davis, who left the game in the first quarter after turning his ankle. Game-winner Reaves enjoyed a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Curry’s 38 points included 8-15 three-point shooting while Anthony Wiggins made 21 points and 12 rebounds, but Golden State fell to an 11th loss in 14 games.
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“Today is the day of giving, and that’s what me and Steph continue to do and try to do for our fans, for our beautiful game,” said James. “We don’t know how many times we’re going to be able to have this matchup. We try to give the game what it deserves, because it’s given us so much; we try to give it right back,” he added. James was playing in a record 19th Christmas Day game and took the occasion to take a gentle swipe at the NFL’s encroachment on the day. “I love the NFL but Christmas is our day,” he said.
Mikal Bridges and the New York Knicks edged Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs 117-114 in a thriller at Madison Square Garden. French star Wembanyama put up 42 points with 18 rebounds and four blocks for the Spurs, but Bridges took the glory with a brilliant 15-point fourth-quarter display that left him with a season-high 41 points and the win. The 20-year-old, who stands 7-foot-3 (2.21m), was 16-31 on shooting and made six of 16 three-point throws. While Bridges took the applause from the home crowd, he was quick to praise the Frenchman.
“From 40 feet out, from right under the rim, from 15 feet out, he’s just unbelievable, just to see what he’s doing, credit to him and how much work he has put in,” said Bridges. The 28-year-old Bridges, who was traded from the Brooklyn Nets in July, shot 17-25 from the field and was six for nine on three-point attempts as his team improved to 20-10. San Antonio were just a point behind with two minutes remaining before Bridges made back-to-back jumpers to open up a five-point lead. Karl-Anthony Towns with 21 points and Jalen Brunson with 20 points and nine assists were crucial for the Knicks in the win.
Defending champions the Boston Celtics (22-8) lost back-to-back games for the first time this season when they were upset at home by the Philadelphia 76ers 118-114. Injury-prone 76ers star Joel Embiid hurt his ankle in a pregame fall but was able to start and showed his importance with 27 points, nine rebounds, and the game-clinching free throws at the end to clinch the win for the 11-17 Philadelphia. Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points and made 12 assists, with his 13 points in the fourth quarter crucial as Philadelphia, who had led by 16 at the break, recovered from Boston’s third-quarter rally.
Jayson Tatum top-scored for the Celtics with 32 points and also grabbed 15 rebounds. It was far from a Merry Christmas for the Dallas Mavericks, who lost their Slovenian star Luka Doncic with a calf injury in the second quarter of their 105-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals. Doncic, who had scored 14 points, limped out of the game and did not return. The Mavericks did manage a brave comeback attempt without him before falling short. Anthony Edwards put up 26 points for Minnesota. The Timberwolves led 57-40 at the half and extended that advantage to 28 points before Dallas, led by Kyrie Irving, who made 39 points, started to work their way back into the contest.
It was close at the end, but Irving missed a three-point shot that would have given Dallas the lead in the last minute, and a two-foot shot from Edwards and a pair of free throws from Julius Randle made sure of the win.
© 2024 AFP
