LeBron James scored 26 points, including two key baskets down the stretch, to lead the visiting Los Angeles Lakers to a 121-107 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
On his 36th birthday, James scored in double figures for the 1,000th consecutive game, expanding his NBA-record streak. He added eight assists and five rebounds. Dennis Schroder scored 21 points for Los Angeles, Anthony Davis hit for 20, Wesley Matthews had 18 the Lakers.
Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon made history when she took over leading the team after the ejection of head coach Gregg Popovich, who received two technical fouls late in the first half. Hammon became the first woman to take charge of an NBA team.
Dejounte Murray led all scorers with 29 points and added seven rebounds and seven assists for San Antonio. DeMar DeRozan scored 23, Patty Mills had 12 and Lonnie Walker IV pitched in 11 points for San Antonio, which was without center LaMarcus Aldridge (sore left knee).
Los Angeles Clippers 128 – Portland Trail Blazers 105
Kawhi Leonard recorded 28 points, seven assists and three steals in his return to the lineup, and he led Los Angeles to a victory over visiting Portland.
Paul George added 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as Los Angeles posted its second straight blowout victory following a franchise-worst, 51-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
CJ McCollum made 7 of 11 3-point attempts while scoring 25 points for the Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard scored 20 points but was just 3 of 14 from the field, including missing all eight of his shots from behind the arc.
Boston Celtics 126 – Memphis Grizzlies 107
Jaylen Brown scored a career-high 42 points before sitting out the fourth quarter of Boston’s victory over visiting Memphis.
Jayson Tatum scored 16 points and Marcus Smart made four 3-pointers to finish with 14 points for the Celtics, who have won 10 in a row against the Grizzlies. Boston’s last loss to Memphis was a 101-98 decision on Jan. 10, 2016.
Jonas Valanciunas collected 20 points and 11 rebounds and Gorgui Dieng added 17 points for the Grizzlies. Memphis played its first game without Ja Morant (ankle), then saw Grayson Allen limp to the locker room in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle.
Brooklyn Nets 145 – Atlanta Hawks 141
Kevin Durant scored 33 points and Kyrie Irving added 17 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter as Brooklyn outlasted Atlanta in New York.
Durant registered his first double-double as a Net by adding 11 rebounds, and he missed his 13th career triple-double by two assists. Joe Harris added 23 points, and Jarrett Allen added 15 points and 13 rebounds for Brooklyn.
John Collins and Trae Young scored 30 points apiece for the Hawks, who were seeking their first 4-0 start since 2010-11.
Miami Heat 119 – Milwaukee Bucks 108
Reserve Goran Dragic had a game-high-tying 26 points as Miami recovered from a miserable performance against Milwaukee to beat the visiting Bucks, who had beaten the Heat 144-97 one night earlier.
Miami’s Bam Adebayo had 22 points and 10 assists while Tyler Herro put up 21 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Herro and Dragic — Miami’s top two point guards — combined for 47 points, 20 rebounds and six assists in 55 minutes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, recording his 19th career triple-double. However, Khris Middleton, who scored 25 points Tuesday, was held to eight points on Wednesday as he made just 3 of 15 shots.
Charlotte Hornets 118 – Dallas Mavericks 99
First-round draft pick LaMelo Ball had his first strong outing in the NBA, and his 22 points helped Charlotte prevail at Dallas.
Reserve Miles Bridges contributed 20 points and a career-high 16 rebounds and Terry Rozier had 18 points for the Hornets, who have won in five of their past six visits to Dallas. P.J. Washington and Gordon Hayward posted 11 points apiece and Jalen McDaniels added 10 points for the Hornets.
Tim Hardaway Jr.’s 18 points, Jalen Brunson’s 16 points and Maxi Kleber’s 12 points were tops for the Mavericks. Luka Doncic was held to 12 points on 4-for-10 shooting from the field in just 24 minutes.
–Field Level Media
