Lakers top Mavs

new york, December 30

Anthony Davis had 23 points and nine rebounds as hosts Los Angeles Lakers defeated Dallas Mavericks 108-95 on Sunday at Staples Center.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 19 points, converting 5 of 9 shots and 4 of 5 3-pointers, off the bench for Lakers, while Dwight Howard scored all 15 of his points in the first half. On the eve of his 35th birthday, LeBron James finished with 13 points and 13 assists. Luka Doncic, who entered the contest as the NBA’s third-leading scorer at 29.1 points per game, had 19 points on 5-of-14 shooting to go with seven assists.

Thunder edge Raptors

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched his career best with 32 points — including the go-ahead jumper with 36 seconds remaining — as visiting Oklahoma City edged Toronto. Chris Paul scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half as Thunder won their fifth straight game in Toronto and sixth in their last seven contests overall.

Nuggets beat Kings

Rookie Michael Porter Jr. had a season-high 19 points in his first career start, Will Barton also had 19 points, and hosts Denver Nuggets handed Sacramento Kings their seventh straight loss. Nemanja Bjelica had 27 points for Kings.

In other matches, New Orleans Pelicans beat Houston Rockets 127-112, while Memphis Grizzlies eased past Charlotte Hornets 117-104. — Reuters