LAKERS STING HORNETS IN OWN NEST
JAMES, BALL SCORE RARE TRIPLE DOUBLES
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – LeBron James and Lonzo Ball gave the Lakers multiple triple doubles in a game for just the second time, and Los Angeles routed the Charlotte Hornets 128-100 on Saturday night for its third win in four games.
James had 24 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, while Ball had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only other Lakers to accomplish that feat in the same game, doing so on Jan. 22, 1982.
James continued his dominance over Charlotte, improving to 27-1 in his last 28 games.
He was unstoppable throughout on penetration, helping the Lakers outscore the Hornets 40-17 in the third quarter and build a 30-point lead with his second triple double of the season and 75th of his career. He did not play in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.
In Detroit, Blake Griffin scored 27 points and Andre Drummond added 19 points and 20 rebounds to help Detroit beat Boston 113-104, snapping the Celtics’ eight-game winning streak.
Detroit also ended its own six-game skid with a solid 48-minute effort. The Pistons took control with a 13-0 run in the third quarter and played well at the start of the fourth as well. Kyrie Irving led Boston with 26 points. Both teams shot over 60 percent from the field in the first quarter, and the game was still tight at halftime, with Detroit up 57-56. Drummond punctuated his team’s 13-point run in the third with a dunk that put the Pistons ahead 76-66.
In Memphis, James Harden had 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his second consecutive triple double, and Houston held off a fourth-quarter burst to beat Memphis 105-97.
NBA RESULTS: ORLANDO 96, Utah 89; LA Lakers 128, CHARLOTTE 100; DETROIT 113, Boston 104; Houston 105, MEMPHIS 97; Chicago 98, SAN ANTONIO 93; OKLAHOMA CITY 110, LA Clippers 104; PHOENIX 107, Minnesota 99.