Anthony Davis scores 55 as Lakers keep surging
Anthony Davis scored 55 points on 22-of-30 shooting and added 17 rebounds, leading the Los Angeles Lakers over the host Washington Wizards 130-119.
After scoring 44 points against Milwaukee in his previous game, Davis came close to his careerhigh of 59 against Detroit in 2016.
LeBron James had 29 points for the Lakers.
They are 8-2 in their last 10 games while trying to extricate themselves from a 2-10 start.
Washington lost Bradley Beal to an undisclosed injury with 8:31 to play in the first quarter.
The 6-foot-10 Davis presented a rare match in wingspan for 7-3 Wizards center Kristaps Porzingis. Both have 7–foot-6 wingspans. But Davis’ mobility and scoring from every level on the floor helped him control the matchup. Porzingis shot 11 of 25 for 27 points.
Former Laker Kyle Kuzma added 26 points for Washington before he fouled out.
Celtics 103, Nets 92: Jaylen Brown had 34 points and 10 rebounds, Jayson Tatum added 29 points and 11 boards and visiting Boston snapped Brooklyn’s four-game winning streak. Kevin Durant scored 31 points for the Nets, but committed eight turnovers. Kyrie Irving added 18 points and eight rebounds but shot just 7 for 21 from the field.
Knicks 92, Cavaliers 81: Jalen Brunson scored 23 points and New York snapped a five-game home losing streak. The Knicks never trailed in the contest as they held an opponent under 100 points for the first time this season. Julius Randle scored 18 points and RJ Barrett added 15 as New York held the Cavaliers to a season-low point total and field goal percentage. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 23 points and Darius Garland had 17.
Pelicans 121, Nuggets 106:
Jose Alvarado of host New Orleans highlighted a crowd-stirring, career-high 38-point performance with a careerbest eight 3-pointers, and the Pelicans won their fourth straight game. Zion Williamson added 25 points. Nikola Jokic had 32 points and 16 rebounds for the Nuggets, who’ve lost two straight on the heels of four straight victories.
Suns 133, Spurs 95: Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 10 rebounds as Phoenix handed the host Spurs their 11th straight loss. The franchise’s longest losing streak was 13 in 1989. San Antonio was without coach Gregg Popovich for the second straight game with what the Spurs termed a minor medical procedure. He is expected to return Thursday in a home game against Houston.
Grizzlies 122, Pistons 112:
Ja Morant scored 21 of his 33 points in the third quarter for visiting Memphis. Morant added 10 assists to help Memphis win for the fourth time in five games. Memphis played without center Steven Adams (hip), the NBA’s leading offensive rebounder, but still finished with a 16-8 edge in second-chance points. Memphis hosts the Miami Heat on Monday night.
Kings 110, Bulls 101: Malik Monk scored 20 points off the bench and host Sacramento overcame Zach LaVine’s 41 points. The Kings (13-9) have won three straight after a three-game skid. This is Sacramento’s best 22-game start since the 2004-05 season.