James finally gets into win column
▶ Stephen Curry explodes for 51
LeBron James had 19 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as Los Angeles clobbered the Phoenix Suns 131-113, giving the four-time MVP his first win as a Laker.
James scored all his points in three quarters and likely would have posted his 74th career triple-double if he hadn’t sat out the fourth with the game already in hand.
Lance Stephenson had 23 points, JaVale McGee added 20 points, and Kyle Kuzma had 17 for the Lakers.
James signed with the Lakers three months ago after leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to four straight NBA final appearances, including their first championship in 2016.
The Lakers have missed the playoffs in each of their last five seasons, the longest playoff drought in franchise history for the 16-time NBA champions.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists but left the game in the third quarter with a sore hamstring. Deandre Ayton, the first draft pick this year, had 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Elsewhere, Stephen Curry had 11 three-pointers en route to a 51-point performance as the Golden State Warriors throttled the Washington Wizards 144-122.
The two-time NBA MVP Curry moved into fifth on the league’s alltime three-point scoring list.
Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 35 points to help the Toronto Raptors improve to 5-0 with a 112-105 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, equaling their best start in franchise history.
Jonas Valanciunas scored 16 points, Serge Ibaka had 15 and Norman Powell added 10 for the Raptors, who also won five straight to start the 2015-16 season.
Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Derrick Rose had 16 and Taj Gibson 13 for Minnesota.
In Houston, Donovan Mitchell scored 38 points to power the Utah Jazz to a 10089 win over the Rockets who struggled without the suspended Paul and then they lost James Harden, the reigning NBA MVP, in the fourth quarter with an injury.
Harden, who is expected to be looked at by team doctors on Thursday, said his hamstring is sore but the injury is not serious. “Just being cautious,” he said.