Doncic, Dallas win 7th straight
DALLAS — Luka Doncic scored 41 points and Kyrie Irving added 29 as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Phoenix Suns 123-113 on Thursday night, extending their winning streak to seven games in the return from the All-star break for both teams.
Dallas pulled even with Phoenix in the standings at 33-23 and took the headto-head tiebreaker with a 2-1 record in a pairing of teams battling for a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.
Doncic had 11 assists and nine rebounds matched against fellow All-stars Devin Booker, who scored 35 points, and Kevin Durant, who had 23 on an ordinary shooting night for the 14-time All-star. The Suns had won five of their last six before the break.
Dallas extended its longest winning streak of the season in the first visit from new majority owner Miriam Adelson. The widow of casino mogul Sheldon Adelson was sitting courtside. Her company, Las Vegas Sands Corp., finalized the deal with Mark Cuban in December.
Bulls’ Williams to miss rest of season
Chicago forward Patrick Williams will have seasonending surgery on his left foot, the team said Friday.
Williams has been sidelined since Jan. 25 with what was initially diagnosed as acute bone edema. Subsequent imaging revealed a stress reaction.
Drafted by Chicago with the No. 4 overall pick out of Florida State in 2020, Williams averaged 10 points and 3.9 rebounds in 43 games this season.
Thunder win big against Clippers
Shai Gilgeous-alexander scored 31 points as the Thunder beat the visiting Clippers 129-107 on Thursday night in a matchup of Western Conference contenders.
Lu Dort added 19 points, Jalen Williams had 18 and Chet Holmgren 17 for Oklahoma City. The Thunder won the season series with Los Angeles and improved to 38-17 to move within a game of Western Conference-leading Minnesota. Gordon Hayward scored no points in 14 minutes in his first game with the Thunder since being acquired from Charlotte in a trade.
Curry, Warriors coast by Lakers
Stephen Curry scored 32 points, hitting six 3pointers, and had eight assists, leading host Golden State past a Los Angeles team missing Lebron James 128-110 on Thursday night.
With his 6,000th career assist, Curry became the eighth player in NBA history with at least 23,000 points and 6,000 assists — joining James, Russell Westbrook, Kobe Bryant, James Harden, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and John Havlicek.
Balanced Knicks take down 76ers
Jalen Brunson had 21 points and 12 assists with Spike Lee cheering from courtside, and visiting New York spoiled Kyle Lowry’s Philadelphia debut with a 110-96 win over the 76ers on Thursday night.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 22 points and Josh Hart had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Precious Achiuwa added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks.
A six-time All-star, Lowry received a standing ovation late in the first quarter when he checked in for the first time since he signed last week.