basketball
Davis’ big 2nd half leads Lakers past Grizz, 117-105
ORLANDO, Florida, Feb 22, (AP): Luka Doncic nearly had a triple-double, finishing with 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and the Dallas Mavericks cruised past the Orlando Magic 122-106t.
Maxi Kleber added a careerhigh 26 points off the bench as the Mavericks improved to 19-8 on the road this season. They won just 18 road games combined the last two seasons.
Kristaps Porzingis chipped in 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Tim Hardaway Jr., scored 16 points.
Evan Fournier led Orlando with 28 points. Nikola Vucevic had 27 points and 12 rebounds, and Terrence Ross scored 19 points for the Magic, who were doomed by another dismal shooting night. Orlando made just 9 of 43 attempts from 3-point range and shot just 39% from the floor.
Lakers 117, Grizzlies 105 In Los Angeles, LeBron James scored 32 points, Anthony Davis recovered from an early injury scare to get 28 points and 13 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers returned from the All-Star break with a 117-105 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Avery Bradley added 14 points for the Western Conference-leading Lakers, who finished strong after blowing most of their 25-point lead accumulated in a superb first half. Davis had 14 points and seven rebounds in the fourth quarter as Los Angeles improved to 42-12 with its fourth straight win since Feb 6.
Josh Jackson scored a season-high 20 points for the Grizzlies, who have lost back-to-back games in California after heading into the All-Star break with eight wins in 10. Ja Morant added 17 points as Memphis dropped to 0-2 on its four-game West Coast trip, which matches its longest road stretch of the season.
Pelicans 128, Blazers 115
In Portland, Oregon, Zion Williamson had 25 points for his seventh straight game with at least 20 points, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers 128-115.
The No. 1 draft pick was playing in just his 11th game after a right knee injury sidelined him for the first half of the season. The Pelicans, who led by as many as 22 points, have won four of their last five games.
CJ McCollum took over as point guard and finished with 27 points and 10 assists. Hassan Whiteside added 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Spurs 113, Jazz 104
In Salt Lake City, Dejounte Murray had 23 points and seven rebounds, leading a balanced attack that helped the San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz 113-104.
DeMar DeRozan added 18 points and seven assists for the Spurs. LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds. Six players scored in double figures as San Antonio beat the Jazz for the second time this season.
Rudy Gobert finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Jazz. Emmanuel Mudiay chipped in 18 points and Jordan Clarkson added 15 off the bench for Utah. The Jazz had a four-game winning streak end with the loss.
Thunder 113, Nuggets 101
In Oklahoma City, Chris Paul scored 29 points, Steven Adams had 19 points and 17 rebounds and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 113-101.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 11 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder. They have won 11 of their past 14 games.
Nikola Jokic scored 32 points on 12-for-15 shooting and Jamal Murray added 21 points for the Nuggets. They entered the night with the second-best record in the Western Conference.
Celtics 127, Timberwolves 117
In Minneapolis, Gordon Hayward scored 29 points, Daniel Theis had career highs with 25 points and 16 rebounds and the Boston Celtics stayed strong out of the All-Star break, holding off the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-117.
Jalen Brown scored 25 points and Jayson Tatum had 28 points and 11 rebounds as fellow All-Star Kemba Walker sat out because of a minor knee injury.
Raptors 118, Suns 101
In Toronto, Pascal Siakam had 37 points and 12 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat the Phoenix Suns 118
101 for their 16th victory in 17 games.
Serge Ibaka scored 16 points, Fred VanVleet and Terence Davis each had 14, Kyle Lowry had 13 points and 10 assists and OG Anunoby aded 12 points for the defending NBA champion Raptors.
Siakam connected on 12 of 19 attempts, going 5 of 9 from 3-point range.
Pacers 106, Knicks 98
In New York, T.J. Warren had 27 points and eight rebounds, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 106-98 victory over the New York Knicks in their return from the All-Star break.
Domantas Sabonis added 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who won their second straight after a sixgame losing streak.
Cavaliers 113, Wizards 110
In Washington,Colin Sexton scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to win in their first game under interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, beating the Washington Wizards 113-110.
Cedi Osman added 16 points and Darius Garland had 15 to help the Cavaliers win back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 9-11.