Randle powers Lakers by LeBron and Cavs
Julius Randle had 36 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, and the host Lakers auditioned for LeBron James’ favor in free agency with a 127-113 victory over the Cavaliers on Sunday night.
Isaiah Thomas had 20 points, nine assists and five boards against his former team as Los Angeles roared away from James and the defending Eastern Conference champions in the second half.
James had 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for Cleveland, which has lost four of six after being swept at Staples Center by the Clippers and Lakers.
The Cavs were no match for Randle, who produced one of the most impressive games of his career. The bruising forward scored 23 points in the second half and went 14-for-18 from the field overall.
Thomas also played well in his first game against the Cavs since they traded him to Los Angeles last month and ended their brief attempt to replace Kyrie Irving with the undersized point guard. He scored eight points in 2½ minutes early in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Starting center Larry Nance Jr. had 24 points and eight rebounds, and Jordan Clarkson added four points in their first game against the Lakers since they were traded for Thomas and Channing Frye on Feb. 8.
Brook Lopez scored 22 points for the Lakers, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 20.
Raptors 132, Knicks 106: In New York, Jonas Valanciunas scored 17 points and Kyle Lowry had 16 as the Raptors won their season-high eighth straight. Seven Raptors finished in double figures. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 25 as the Knicks dropped their seventh straight game.
Rockets Gordon scored 105, Mavericks 26 points and 82: Chris Eric Paul had 24 points and 12 assists as visiting Houston won without James Harden (sore knee). Houston moved 1½ games ahead of the Warriors in the race for the top seed in the West.
Jazz had assists, 30 116, points, and Pelicans visiting 10 rebounds 99: Utah Ricky overcame and Rubio seven Anthony Davis’ first career tripledouble for New Orleans, extending the Jazz’s winning streak to six. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points, including 15 during the last 3:08 of the third quarter to put Utah in front for good. Davis had 25 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 10 blocks.
Nuggets 130, Kings 104: Nikola Jokic had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his seventh tripledouble of the season, Gary Harris added 21 points and host Denver routed Sacramento. Buddy Hield scored 18 points, while former Nuggets player Kosta Koufos chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings.
Pacers 99, Celtics 97: Victor Oladipo scored 27 and Myles Turner added 19 points and 10 rebounds for visiting Indiana. Boston had a chance to win, but Terry Rozier’s long two-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
Bulls 129, Hawks 122: Zach LaVine (21 points) hit four free throws in the final 17 seconds to help Chicago stop host Atlanta’s comeback. Bobby Portis also had 21 points for the Bulls. The Hawks, already without injured point guard Dennis Schroder, lost Kent Bazemore to a knee sprain and Jaylen Morris to an ankle injury, respectively, in the second quarter. Taurean Prince led Atlanta with 38 points.
76ers 120, Nets 97: Joel Embiid scored 21 points and Robert Covington had 19 for visiting Philadelphia. D’Angelo Russell had 26 points for the Nets.