LeBron James had 42 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists, and the surging Los Angeles Lakers blew most of a 26-point lead before hanging on to beat the Golden State Warriors 120-112 on Thursday night. (More Sports News)
Austin Reaves scored 23 points and Gabe Vincent hit five 3-pointers for the Lakers, who have won four straight and 10 of 12. Los Angeles also won its second straight with Luka Dončić watching from the bench.
James joined Michael Jordan as the only 40-year-old players to score 40 points.
Stephen Curry scored 37 points for the Warriors, but James came out on top in their latest duel.
James scored 18 points in the second quarter while the Lakers surged ahead, but Golden State began a 32-12 rally right before halftime. Curry scored 22 points in the second half.
Curry went 13 of 35 from the field and hit six 3-pointers. His 20 3-point attempts matched the fifth-most in his career.
He trimmed Los Angeles’ lead to 109-104 with 3:40 to play, but James hit his sixth 3 with 1:08 left.
James made three 3-pointers in 38 seconds in the second quarter, draining the third from the midcourt logo.
Mavericks win NBA Finals rematch
Klay Thompson scored 25 points, Daniel Gafford gave the Mavericks 15 rebounds in what could be his last start at center for a while and Dallas beat the Boston Celtics 127-120 in their NBA Finals rematch.
With recently acquired big man Anthony Davis out with an abdominal strain and cheering on his new teammates from the bench, the Mavericks led by 27 points in the second half. Spencer Dinwiddie added 22 points off the bench as Dallas snapped a three-game skid.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla put in his bench, and they unexpectedly pulled within single digits in the final minute.
Jaylen Brown, who won the NBA Finals MVP in June while leading Boston to a five-game victory over Dallas, scored 25 points and Jayson Tatum had 17. Payton Pritchard scored 21 to lead the second-string rally.
Davis' anticipated debut with Dallas after he was acquired on Sunday for five-time All-NBA first-teamer Luka Dončić will have to wait until at least Saturday.
Kyrie Irving had a slow start, with just four points in the first half. But with just under 10 minutes left, he pulled up for a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Mavericks a 114-90 lead – their biggest of the game. After a timeout, Irving hit another 3 – this one a second-chance basket from the left side.
Edwards has another big night in Wolves’ win
Anthony Edwards had 41 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied to beat the Houston Rockets 127-114.
One night after scoring 49 points in a win over Chicago, Edwards dominated the game early and late. He scored 18 points in the first quarter and 16 in the fourth, which began with Houston leading by six.
Rudy Gobert had back-to-back dunks to start the quarter before Edwards took over with three 3-pointers as Minnesota outscored Houston 35-16 over the final 12 minutes.
Jaylen Clark scored a career-high 17 points for the Timberwolves, while Naz Reid had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Jalen Green led Houston with 28 points. Alperen Sengun had 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Rockets, who lost their season-high fifth straight.
With less than 5 minutes to play, Edwards missed a 3-pointer, but Clark tracked down the rebound. He passed it back to Edwards, who drove to the hoop and drew a foul while hitting a short jumper. He made the free throw, then hit a 3 on the next possession to put Minnesota on top 113-106.
