LeBron, Lakers roll to victory against Memphis
LeBron James had 20 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Kyle Kuzma added 20 points and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Memphis Grizzlies in a 111-88 victory on Saturday night.
Kentavious CaldwellPope and Josh Hart added 16 points apiece, while JaVale McGee finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Wayne Selden led Memphis with 17 points. Mike Conley added 12 points while struggling from the field, shooting 4 of 12, as Memphis shot 41 percent overall.
The Lakers extended their lead to as many as 29 before taking a 91-66 advantage into the fourth quarter. By the midway point of the fourth, Memphis had not made a significant dent in the Lakers’ lead and Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff emptied his bench. MAVERICKS 107, ROCKETS 104 >> Luka Doncic shrugged off a rough shooting night with 11 straight points to erase an eight-point deficit late in the fourth quarter and Dallas went on to its ninth consecutive home victory over Houston.
Doncic was 3 of 13 before hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to get Dallas within two. After Chris Paul missed two free throws, Doncic hit a floater in the lane for a tie, then followed an air-ball 3 from James Harden with another from long range for a 105102 lead. It was 26th lead change.
The Slovenian rookie had 21 points along with Wesley Matthews, who missed two free throws with a chance to put the game away in the final seconds. Eric Gordon missed a potential tying 3-pointer for Houston at the buzzer.
PACERS 107, KINGS 97 >> Thaddeus Young had a seasonhigh 20 points and nine rebounds, and Bojan Bogdanovic added 18 points to help Indiana beat Sacramento.
Doncic was 3 of 13 before hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to get Dallas within two. After Chris Paul missed two free throws, Doncic hit a floater in the lane for a tie, then followed an air-ball 3 from James Harden with another from long range for a 105-102 lead. It was 26th lead change.
NETS 112, KNICKS 104 >> Spencer Dinwiddie scored 25 points and Rondae HollisJefferson added 20 to lead Brooklyn over New York.
Allen Crabbe scored 17 points, Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Joe Harris added 11 as Brooklyn won its second straight game. The Nets improved to 10-8.
HAWKS 106, NUGGETS 98 >> John Collins scored a career-high 30 points and reserves LeBron James had 20 points, nine assists and eight rebounds Saturday.
Vince Carter and DeAndre’ Bembry fueled a third-quarter rally that helped Atlanta beat Denver.
Atlanta (6-20) snapped a four-game losing streak. Collins also had 12 rebounds and five assists.
The Hawks lost 138-93 at Denver on Nov. 15, and the Nuggets also controlled Saturday night’s game early on. But they faded in the finale of a five-game trip.
Nikola Jokic had 24 points and 11 rebounds, but Denver (17-9) dropped games on back-to-back nights for the first time all season after sweeping the first three situations. Juancho Hernangomez finished with 17 points and 10 boards.
The Nuggets were coming off a 113-107 loss at Charlotte on Friday night. CAVALIERS 116, WIZARDS 101 >> Rookie Collin Sexton matched a career high with 29 points, Tristan Thompson had 23 points and 19 rebounds and Cleveland beat Washington.
Cleveland dominated, going ahead for good late in the first quarter and building a 29-point lead in the second half.
BOSTON 133, BULLS 77 >> Jaylen Brown scored 23 points off the bench, Daniel Theis added a career-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Boston routed Chicago for its fifth straight win.
TRAIL BLAZERS 113, TIMBERWOLVES 105 >> Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum each hit 3-pointers in the final minute to give Portland a victory over Minnesota.
Lillard finished with 28 points and eight assists, while McCollum added 19 points. Jusuf Nurkic matched his season-high with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
HEAT 121, CLIPPERS 98 >> Dwyane Wade came off the bench to score 25 points for Miami at home.
Justise Winslow added 21 points and nine assists for the Heat.
Lou Williams scored 18 points off the bench for the Clippers.