Mindanao Times

NBA: Lakers top Jazz behind James, Davis

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LEBRON James had 32 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as host Los Angeles Lakers rolled to a 95-86 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night in their home opener at Staples Center.

Anthony Davis added 21 points, five blocks and seven rebounds, while guard Troy Daniels came off the bench to score 15 points for the Lakers, who bounced back following their season-opening loss to the L.A. Clippers on Tuesday.

Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 24 points. Mike Conley chipped in 13 points but missed eight of his 11 attempts from the floor and four of his five 3-pointers.

It was the second consecutiv­e game Conley struggled offensivel­y. He shot just 1 of 16 in the Jazz's victory over Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Utah forward Joe Ingles also had a tough outing, scoring just two points and taking just two shots. Reserve point guard Emmanuel Mudiay finished with 12 points, while center Rudy Gobert had eight points and nine rebounds for the Jazz.

The Jazz played without forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who was held out of the contest after sustaining a sprained ankle against the Thunder.

With the game tied at 43-43 two minutes into the third quarter, the Lakers rode a 31-12 surge for a 74-55 lead heading into the fourth quarter. James had 12 points in the third as Los Angeles outscored Utah 31-18 in the quarter.

The Jazz got no closer

than nine the rest of the way.

The Jazz rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second quarter before the Lakers took a 43-37 lead at the break.

Both teams endured rough stretches offensivel­y in the first half, with the Jazz managing 36.8-percent shooting compared to 34.8 percent for the Lakers.

Utah committed 13 first-half turnovers compared to 10 for Los Angeles.

Overall, the Lakers shot 39.5 percent to 41.4 percent for the Jazz. Los Angeles finished with 14 turnovers to 22 for Utah.

The Lakers played without point guard Rajon Rondo (sore calf) and forward Kyle Kuzma (stress reaction, left foot) for the second game in a row.

Utah guard Dante Exum also missed the contest as he recovers from knee surgery.

Doncic notches triple-double as Mavs drop Pelicans

Luka Doncic had a tripledoub­le as the visiting Dallas Mavericks held off the New Orleans Pelicans 123-116 on Friday night.

Doncic, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year who had 34 points to lead the Mavericks to a season-opening win against Washington two nights earlier, finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Kristaps Porzingis added 24

points, Delon Wright scored 20 off the bench and Jalen Brunson had 14.

Brandon Ingram scored 25 as the Pelicans fell to 0-2 in a season that began with the news that top draft choice Zion Williamson will miss six to eight weeks because of arthroscop­ic knee surgery. Derrick Favors and Josh Hart scored 16 each, Lonzo Ball added 15 and Frank Jackson 10.

Both teams picked up their defense in the third quarter after Dallas had taken a 72-64 halftime lead.

The Mavericks shot just 37 percent from the floor, including 1 for 12 on 3-pointers, as the Pelicans outscored them 29-23 in the third period to cut the lead to two.

Ingram’s jumper pulled New Orleans even at 109 with five minutes remaining, but Doncic broke the tie with a 3-point play.

The Mavericks doubled the lead, as Porzingis made a free throw and Brunson added a layup, while the Pelicans missed six consecutiv­e shots.

Ingram cut the lead to three when he made a 3-pointer with 2:36 remaining.

Kenrich Williams made one of two free throws for New Orleans before Doncic made a layup and a 3-pointer for a 120113 lead with 1:23 left.

Ball made a 3-pointer, but the Pelicans turned the ball over on their next two possession­s.

Each team had a 40-pluspoint quarter in the first half.

The Pelicans tied a franchise record with 14 assists in the first

quarter as they raced to a 41-27 lead at the end of the period. They shot 72 percent from the floor.

Dallas responded with a 45-point second quarter as Porzingis finished the half with 17 points.

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