Dallas Mavericks edge LA Lakers as Luka Doncic and LeBron James shine, Draymond Green ejected again in Golden State loss
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Published 13/12/2023 at 08:52 GMT
Luka Doncic and LeBron James made 33 points each in a blow-for-blow NBA thriller on Tuesday night. The Dallas Mavericks game out on top by two points to bring the LA Lakers back to earth following a winning run that led to their triumph at the inaugural In-Season Tournament. Elsewhere, Draymond Green was ejected for the third time this season as the Golden State Warriors lost to the Phoenix Suns.
Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts after a foul call in the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Center on December 12, 2023 in Dallas, Texas.
Image credit: Getty Images
Luka Doncic’s double-double led the Dallas Mavericks to a narrow win over the LA Lakers as the Californian side were brought crashing back to earth.
The Lakers won the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament on Saturday night in Las Vegas, beating the Indiana Pacers, but couldn’t back it up as the Mavs triumphed 117-115 on Tuesday.
Doncic led the way with 33 points and 17 assists, while Lakers legend LeBron James also posted 33 points to go with nine assists and eight rebounds.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a season-high 32 points for Dallas, but it was the Lakers' Anthony Davis who finished top of the point-scoring pile with a game-high 37 points.
The result ended the Lakers’ four-game winning streak, their best of the season, as the Mavs impressed despite the absence of Doncic’s injured partner-in-crime Kyrie Irving.
The Lakers fought back from 15 points down in the third quarter and edged in front for the first time since the first quarter when Davis landed a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left before the break.
But Dallas fought back as Doncic set up Dante Exum, who scored a season-high 26 points, for a 3-pointer to give them a five-point lead in the final straight and James reduced the deficit to two with a 3-pointer of his own at the buzzer.
Doncic’s contribution, his eighth consecutive game reaching the 30-point mark, was all the more remarkable coming a day after he had played the entire second half in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
“I don’t know how I played,” Doncic said. “I slept very little today, and everything hurts. I am getting older. But we got two back-to-back wins, which is amazing especially against a team like the Lakers.”
The Mavs’ fourth win in a row puts them third in the Western Conference ahead of the visit of leaders the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, while the Lakers are sixth and go to the rock-bottom San Antonio Spurs next on Wednesday.
Golden State Warriors fell to a 119-116 defeat at the Phoenix Suns as Draymond Green was ejected for the third time this season.
Green was dismissed for a Flagrant 2 foul after hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the face, marking an NBA-high third ejection of the season.
Devin Booker led the way for the Suns with 32 points, while Stephen Curry was the Warriors’ leader with 24.
Champions Denver Nuggets defeated the Chicago Bulls 114-106 as Reggie Jackson scored 25 points, but Nikola Jokic was ejected in the second quarter.
The Boston Celtics won 120-113 against the Cleveland Cavaliers as Jaysum Tatum posted a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds to help the Celtics maintain their unbeaten home record.
In Los Angeles, the LA Clippers earned a resounding 119-98 win over the Sacramento Kings for a fifth victory in a row as Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points in three quarters to continue his hot streak.
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