LAKERS’ DAVIS RUSTY IN RETURN
Luka Doncic scored 30 points, leading the host Dallas Mavericks to a 115-110 victory over the Lakers on Thursday night in the return of Los Angeles star Anthony Davis from a 30-game injury absence.
Davis was rusty in his first game since Feb. 14 because of right calf and heel issues, scoring four points on 2-of-10 shooting while limited to 17 minutes in the first half only. The absence was the longest of the eight-time All-Star’s career.
The Mavericks lost their big man in the third quarter of the first of two consecutive games against the Lakers when Kristaps Porzingis sprained his left ankle and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
With Davis on the bench for the rest of the game and fellow star LeBron James also watching from there with his sprained right ankle, the Lakers erased an 11-point halftime deficit and were within four with three minutes remaining but Dallas held on.
The teams play another national TV game in Dallas on Saturday night.
Davis, who had four rebounds, also missed two free throws while settling for jumpers but also failing to convert at the rim. Coach Frank Vogel said the plan was to play Davis about 15 minutes, all in the first half.
Davis was shut down after a 122-105 loss at Denver on Feb. 14, when the 28-year-old in his ninth season played just 14 minutes to start an L.A. slide of five losses in six games.
With James expected to miss at least two more weeks, the Lakers dropped to 7-10 since his injury. The defending NBA champs are fifth in the Western Conference, one spot out of home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Porzingis, playing a backto-back for just the third time this season as the Mavericks try to protect him after offseason knee surgery, scored 19 points before limping to the bench and eventually off the court after his latest injury.
The 7-foot-3 Latvian missed the first nine games after the procedure on his right knee. He was out another three in a row with back tightness and has missed 19 games this season.
Kentavious
CaldwellPope
scored a season-high 29 points, Dennis Schroder had 25 and 13 assists and Andre Drummond had 14 points and 19 rebounds for the Lakers.
After Caldwell-Pope pulled L.A. within 110-106 with a 3, Dorian Finney-Smith answered with one after the teams traded misses.
The Mavericks won their second straight at home after four consecutive losses at American Airlines Center.
Davis said the plan was 15 to 20 minutes, so they wanted to make sure they came up short of the bigger numbers. Montrezl Harrell scored 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting
“He’s going to need his get his legs under him as to be expected,” Vogel said before the Dallas game. “You can’t simulate NBA action. That’s what tonight’s going to be about. That’s what the next few games are going to be about. This is an important first step for sure.”
Celtics 99, Suns 86: Kemba Walker matched his season high with 32 points and Boston rolled to a victory over Phoenix at home.
Walker was 11 of 17 from the field, hitting five 3-pointers. The Celtics were without Jaylen Brown because of a sore left shoulder, and Jayson Tatum struggled shooting for the second straight game, going 3 of 17. He had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Chris Paul had 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Bucks 124, 76ers 117: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points, Khris Middleton had 24 and Milwaukee beat Philadelphia to end a five-game home losing streak. Bobby Portis added a season-high 23 points for the Bucks.
Spurs 106, Pistons 91: Derrick White had 26 points, Jakob Poeltl added 17 points and 11 rebounds and San Antonio beat Detroit to snap a five-game home losing streak.
Pelicans 135, Magic 100: Zion Williamson scored 23 points in 23 minutes in his first game against Orlando, and visiting New Orleans beat the Magic to snap a fourgame losing streak.
Bulls 108, Hornets 91: Nikola Vucevic scored 18 points and matched a season high with 16 rebounds in Chicago’s victory over Charlotte at home.
Notable
Atlanta point guard Trae Young will miss the Hawks’ home game against Miami tonight because of a sprained left ankle.