THE ‘KING’ TIES BIRD’S MARK
James’ 59th tripledouble fuels Cavs, Warriors notch eighth straight win
CLEVELAND star LeBron James tied Larry Bird for sixth all time in NBA triple-doubles on Thursday as the Cavaliers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 121-112.
“King” James scored 25 points with 12 rebounds and 12 assists for the 59th triple-double of his 15-season career, and spoke afterwards of Bird’s legacy.
“He’s one of the greatest players to ever play the game,” James said of the former Boston Celtics great.
James’s milestone had him thinking about players he admired as a youngster — including Bird.
On the court he went up for the first time against NBA rookie Lonzo Ball — taken second overall by the Lakers in the draft in June — who has cited James as the player he idolised not so long ago.
Ball and a young, energetic Lakers team led by Brandon Ingram’s 26 points seized an early lead before the Cavaliers found their range.
Cleveland’s Kevin Love led all scorers with 28 points and Jose Calderon added 17 for the Cavs, who scored 100 points for the 22nd consecutive game and won for the 16th time in 17 contests.
James helped put the game away, his dunk with 2:20 remaining and a short shot with 1:38 to play putting the Cavs up 117-108.
Ball who finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers, said it was “pretty cool” to play against James for the first time.
The Dallas Mavericks proved no match for the under-manned Golden State Warriors, who pulled away in the second half for a 112-97 victory in Oakland, California.
The reigning NBA champion Warriors, still without star Stephen Curry and also missing starters Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia, notched their eighth straight win.
Dallas, led by veteran Dirk Nowitzki’s 18 points, led 28-24 after the first quarter and were tied at 48-48 at halftime before Golden State seized control in the third period.
In other games, the New York Knicks lost star forward Kristaps Porzingis with a sore left knee in the third quarter but held on for a 111-104 victory over the Nets in Brooklyn.
The Detroit Pistons, called out by coach Stan Van Gundy after dropping their seventh straight game on Tuesday, snapped their skid with an emphatic 105-91 victory over Hawks in Atlanta.