LeBron 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.
CLIPPERS 97, MAVERICKS 91
LOS ANGELES — Paul George scored 12 of his 29 points in the third quarter and Los Angeles ended a two-game 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.
The Clippers improved to 7-0 when Jackson has 20 or more points, all since Nov. 3.
“When he is aggressive scoring the basketball, making the right play, we are a tough team to beat,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.
“For him to step up and be that second scorer behind PG, we need that a lot. When he plays well, we play well.”
Kristaps Porzingis had 25 points and 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.
“I thought we had a lot of great looks at 3 that were just short tonight for whatever reason,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said of his team that was just 20 percent (6 of 30) from 3-point range.
“In that fourth quarter, when things weren’t going well, I thought we improved to give ourselves a chance to win on the road.”