LA’s James, Ball get triple-doubles in rout of Charlotte
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LeBron James and Lonzo Ball gave the Lakers multiple triple-doubles in a game for just the second time as 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, and 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.
Ball had his third career triple-double and finished 7 of 11 from the field.
MAGIC 96, JAZZ 89: In Mexico City, Evan Fournier scored 24 points, Terrence Ross came off the bench to add 10 of his 19 in the fourth quarter and Orlando rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat Utah for a sweep of its two game home stand across the border.
Ross shot 8 of 9 from the field and Nikola Vucevic added 15 points and a seasonhigh 19 rebounds for the Magic (13-15), which defeated the Chicago Bulls 97-91 on Thursday.
The game was the NBA’s 28th played in Mexico. Only the United States and Canada have hosted more.
PISTONS 113, CELTICS 104: In Detroit, Blake Griffin scored 27 points, and Andre Drummond added 19 points and 20 rebounds to help Detroit beat Boston, snapping the Celtics’ eight-game winning streak.
Detroit also ended its 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 the Celtics with 26 points. BULLS 98, SPURS 93: In San Antonio, Texas, Kris Dunn scored 24 points, Lauri Markkanen added 23 and Chicago rallied from a 21-point deficit in the second half to stun the Spurs.
The rally snapped Chicago’s three-game skid and ended San Antonio’s four-game winning streak.
ROCKETS 105, GRIZZLIES 97: In Memphis, Tenn., 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.
Harden, who had 50 points in a triple-double in the Rockets’ victory over the Lakers on Thursday, was 9 of 14 from the field as Houston won its third straight.
SUNS 107, TIMBERWOLVES 99: In Phoenix, Devin Booker returned from a six-game absence to score 28 points as Phoenix beat Minnesota, giving the Suns a two-game winning streak for the first time in almost a year.
Deandre Ayton had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns.
THUNDER 110, CLIPPERS 104: In Oklahoma City, Paul George scored 33 points to help Oklahoma City defeated Los Angeles.
It was the fourth time in seven games George scored at least 30 points.