Doncic turns 25 as Mavs thrash Raptors

TORONTO: Luka Doncic had 30 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds on his 25th birthday for his 11th triple-double of the season, Kyrie Irving scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Toronto Raptors 136125 on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).

Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, is the first player in league history to record a 30-point triple-double on his birthday. He has scored 25 or more points in nine straight games, topping 40 twice in that stretch.

“Just a normal game, triple-double,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “He was really good. I guess 25 means he’s still going to be really good as he gets older here.”

Doncic shot 11 for 23, going just

1 of 8 from 3-point range, as Dallas snapped a two-game skid. He went 7 for 9 at the foul line.

Asked whether he considered 25 a milestone birthday, Doncic first asked for an explanation of the word before dismissing the idea.

“I feel like 40, so no,” the Slovenian star said with a smile.

Doncic and Irving scored 22 points in the first half, then combined for 37 after the break.

“Kyrie and Luka, they had such a poise in important moments to make the right plays,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said.

P.J. Washington Jr. added 23 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 16 for Dallas. Daniel Gafford scored 13 points as the Mavericks bounced back from Tuesday’s tough loss at Cleveland, when Max Strus hit a 59-footer as time expired to give the Cavaliers a wild 121-119 win.

Doncic said he didn’t spend any time dwelling on that defeat.

“Zero,” he said. “That’s the beauty of the NBA, you get another chance the next day.”

Scottie Barnes had 19 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth straight double-double, Immanuel Quickley scored a season-high 28 points and RJ Barrett had 26 points for the Raptors, who lost for the first time in four games since the All-Star break.

Jakob Poeltl scored 16 points, Kelly Olynyk had 13 and Gary Trent Jr. 11, but Toronto couldn’t win a third straight meeting with the Mavericks.

Kawhi Leonard missed a 12-footer with five seconds to play, and James threw a long pass to Cam Reddish for a dunk that punctuated a stunning victory for the Lakers in the rivals’ final regular-season game as co-tenants of their downtown arena.

The 39-year-old James was the center of it all, hitting five of his seasonhigh seven 3-pointers while outscoring the Clippers by himself in the fourth quarter (19-16). He either scored or assisted on 11 of the Lakers’ 13 baskets in the final period.

Leonard scored 26 points and James Harden had 23 points and nine assists for the Clippers, who lost back-to-back games for the first time since December 23 after committing seven turnovers and allowing 39 points in that calamitous fourth quarter. The Clippers played without All-Star Paul George, who missed his second straight game with a sore left knee, and starting center Ivica Zubac, who was ill.

“It’s one game,”Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Played well for three quarters. Didn’t finish the game. I never let one loss or a bad loss take away from what we’ve been doing and what we’ve built. It’s a tough loss because we were up 21 points, but this is a good team, and when you don’t take care of the basketball and you don’t do what you’re supposed to do, you lose.”

The Clippers led 98-77 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but James led a 29-8 run in just 7:34. Anthony Davis’ free throws tied it at 106- with four minutes to play, and James found Rui Hachimura for a goahead 3-pointer moments later.

D’Angelo Russell’s 3-pointer put the Lakers up 114-108 with 1:12 to play before Harden and Leonard scored on drives to the hoop while James missed a pair of shots for the Lakers. But Leonard’s last shot was off target, and James found Reddish for the capper to the delight of the thousands of Lakers fans in attendance at a “road” game.

Davis had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, while Russell had 18 and Hachimura added 17.