Lavine, Bulls spoil James’ return by toppling Lakers
Lebron James scored 19 points off the bench in his return from a 13-game injury absence, but Zach Lavine had 32 points to lead Chicago past the host Los Angeles Lakers 118-108. Lavine hit 11 of his first 14 shots as the Bulls won for the fourth time in five games and halted the Lakers’ three-game win streak. Los Angeles went 8-5 without James, who’d been out with a sore right foot. For the second time in his 20-year, 1,958-game NBA career, James wasn’t a starter. He came in as a reserve midway through the first quarter. The Lakers (37-38) failed to get above .500 for the first time since Jan. 9, 2022.
■ Hornets 110, Mavericks 104: At Charlotte, N.C., Findlay Prep product
P.J. Washington had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte, which overcame Luka Doncic’s 40-point outing in its third win in four games. Kyrie Irving scored 18 points for Dallas, which lost its fourth straight and is 3-8 with Irving and Doncic in the lineup. Doncic was issued his 16th technical foul this season, prompting a one-game suspension.
■ Timberwolves 99, Warriors 96:
At San Francisco, Karl-anthony Towns hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds left after Kyle Anderson stole a pass by Draymond Green, ending Golden State’s nine-game home win streak. Towns, in his second game after a 52-game injury absence, had 14 points. Stephen Curry scored 20 points for the Warriors but missed a contested 3 from the baseline at the buzzer.
■ Grizzlies 123, Hawks 119: At
Atlanta, Ja Morant scored 27 points and Desmond Bane 25 for Memphis, which won its sixth straight and ninth in 10 games. The Grizzlies are second in the West despite a 15-22 road mark. Atlanta has alternated wins and losses in its past seven games.
■ Celtics 137, Spurs 93: At Boston, Jaylen Brown had 41 points and 13 rebounds for Boston, which was without top scorer Jayson Tatum (left hip contusion) but won for the fifth time in six games. San Antonio lost its fourth straight and sixth in seven games.
■ Magic 119, Nets 106: At Orlando, Fla., Cole Anthony had 21 points to lead eight double-figure scorers for Orlando in its third straight win. Mikal Bridges scored 44 points for Brooklyn, which lost for the sixth time in seven games.
■ Cavaliers 108, Rockets 91: At Cleveland, Jarrett Allen had 24 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland, which clinched its first playoff berth since 2018 with its fourth straight win and sixth in seven games.
■ Raptors 114, Wizards 104: At
Toronto, O.G. Anunoby scored 29 points and Fred Vanvleet 28 for Toronto, which didn’t trail and dealt Washington its fifth loss in six games.