James ejected after bloodying Stewart, Lakers beat Pistons
DETROIT » LeBron James was ejected early in the third quarter after drawing blood by hitting Isaiah Stewart in the face, leaving Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook to rally the Los Angeles Lakers to a 121-116 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.
Davis had 30 points, 10 rebounds and two big blocked shots late on Pistons 20-year-old rookie Cade Cunningham. Westbrook contributed 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, had 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to become the youngest player in franchise history with a triple-double.
James was sent to the locker room after his left elbow and hand appeared to make contact with Stewart’s face when they were tangled up while boxing out for a rebound. Detroit’s center had to be held back more than once, keeping him separated from the NBA superstar, and he was also ejected.
Westbrook was assessed a technical after the officials reviewed the play and the fallout from it.
All parties were relieved that an all-out melee wasn’t witnessed as it was on Nov. 19, 2004, when the Pistons and Indiana Pacers had a brawl that spilled into the stands.
After calm was restored on Sunday night, Detroit closed the third quarter strong and led 99-84 entering the fourth.
Westbrook and Davis both scored in double figures in the final quarter, leading a rally that gave the Lakers a win to reach .500 this season.
Detroit had the ball with 5.9 seconds left with the chance to potentially tie the game, but Hamidou Diallo turned the ball over and Davis made free throws to seal the victory.
James had 10 points and five assists in his second game back in the lineup. After missing eight games with an abdominal strain, he played Friday night in a 130-108 loss at Boston. CLIPPERS 97, MAVERICKS 91
Paul George scored 12 of his 29 points in the third quarter and the Los Angeles Clippers ended a twogame skid with a victory over Dallas.
Reggie Jackson scored eight of his 23 points in the third, when the Clippers turned a one-point halftime deficit into a nine-point lead.
Kristaps Porzingis had 25 points with eight rebounds as the Mavericks played their third consecutive
game without star Luka Doncic because of a sprained left knee and ankle.
Jalen Brunson scored 20 points for the Mavericks, who have lost all three games without Doncic to open a four-game road trip.
SUNS 126, NUGGETS 97 » Cam Johnson scored a careerhigh 22 points, Deandre Ayton added 21 and the faststarting Phoenix Suns ran their winning streak to 12, routing the short-handed Denver Nuggets 126-97 on Sunday night.
The Suns scored 48 points in the first quarter for a 20-point lead, shooting 17 of 22 (77.3%) from the field, including 7 of 8 from 3-point range.
Johnson, Devin Booker and Jae Crowder all hit two 3-pointers during the early run. The Suns haven’t lost since Oct. 27 against Sacramento when Harrison
Barnes made a 3-pointer at the buzzer. It’s the longest winning streak for the franchise since they won 17 straight during the 2006-07 season.
Denver star forward Nikola Jokic missed his second straight game with a sprained right wrist. The Nuggets have lost four straight to fall to 9-8. BULLS 109, KNICKS 103 » DeMar DeRozan scored 31 points, Zach LaVine added 21 and Chicago rallied in the fourth quarter for a victory over the New York Knicks.
Coby White scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter as Chicago won its second straight and fourth in five games.
Julius Randle had 34 points on 13-for-18 shooting for New York.
The Knicks won the first meeting between the teams on Oct. 28 in Chicago.