Lakers crush Hornets

▶ LeBron, Ball both get triple-doubles

Lonzo Ball joined LeBron James in elite territory on Saturday as their twin triple-doubles lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to a 128-100 NBA victory over the Hornets in Charlotte.

James, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, scored 24 points with 11 assists and 12 rebounds while Ball, the second overall selection in the 2017 draft, added 16 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds.

It was the first time two NBA teammates posted triple-doubles in the same game since Jason Kidd and Vince Carter did it for the Nets in 2007.

James and Ball became the only Lakers teammates to do it besides Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1982.

Both James and Ball had completed their triple-doubles with plenty of margins. After helping the Lakers outscore the Hornets 40-17 in the third quarter, James sat out all of the fourth quarter and Ball played just five minutes of the final period. Ball added five steals as the Lakers came back with a vengeance from a 126-111 loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

In Detroit, the Pistons ended the Boston Celtics’ league-leading eight-game winning streak – and their own six-game skid – with a 113-104 victory.

Reggie Bullock provided a spark for the Pistons. His 15 points included a three-pointer with 3:37 to play.

Blake Griffin scored 27 points, pulled down eight rebounds and handed out six assists for the Pistons, who led by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter but saw Boston cut the deficit to 111-104 with 38 seconds left with the help of a spate of turnovers.

Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 26 points and Marcus Smart added 21.

In Memphis, the Houston Rockets jumped to an early lead but had to fight off the Grizzlies down the stretch for a 105-97 victory.

Houston led 61-40 at halftime and were still up by 14 heading into the fourth quarter, but saw their lead sliced to six points with 3:04 to play.

Memphis would get no closer as Houston came up with the stops they needed to post a third straight victory.

James Harden notched a triple-double of 32 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds. Coming off his monster 50-point tripledouble against the Lakers, it marked the seventh time in Harden’s career that he has achieved the feat in consecutive games.

Clint Capela added 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who improved to 14-14 for the season.