Anthony Davis filled the stat sheet with a dominant performance that propelled the Los Angeles Lakers to an important 120-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
Davis recorded 27 points, 25 rebounds and a career-high seven steals to lead the way as the Lakers defeated a potential title contender for the second time in three days. Los Angeles was coming off a 123-122 triumph over the Eastern Conference power Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. The All-Star forward added five assists and three blocks.
The Lakers also received 29 points, eight rebounds and nine assists from LeBron James in the legendary superstar's return after he missed the Milwaukee game tending to a nagging ankle injury.
Los Angeles still sits in ninth place in the challenging Western Conference, but has gone 12-5 since Feb. 1.
The Timberwolves, meanwhile, lost ground in the race for the West's top spot after being dealt a second straight loss. Minnesota now trails first-place Oklahoma City by 1 1/2 games after the Thunder defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid, starting in place of an injured Rudy Gobert, led Minnesota with 25 points each.
The Timberwolves did hold a slim 92-91 lead after three quarters, but went just 5 of 17 from the field as James and Davis took over in the fourth.
Los Angeles' star duo sparked a pivotal 11-0 run that Davis finished with a three-point play that gave the Lakers a 107-94 advantage with under seven minutes to go, and they maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way as the Timberwolves continued to miss shots down the stretch.
Lillard, Antetokounmpo lead way as Bucks top Clippers
Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo combined for 69 points as the All-Star duo got the Milwaukee Bucks back on track with a 124-117 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers.
Lillard scored 16 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and added 11 assists, while Antetokounmpo recorded 10 helpers along with 34 points to help lead Milwaukee to its first win on its current four-game road trip. The Bucks had won six straight before opening the trek with losses at Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Clippers played without two of their stars as both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were rested with the team playing for a second consecutive day. Norman Powell paced Los Angeles with 26 points off the bench and James Harden recorded 11 assists, though the 10-time All-Star finished with just 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting.
Despite those obstacles, the Clippers owned a 98-96 lead with under 8 1/2 minutes left before Milwaukee seized momentum. Antetokounmpo scored on back-to-back possessions and Lillard followed with one of his seven 3-pointers for the game to give the Bucks a five-point edge with seven minutes to go.
The Clippers countered with two Ivica Zubac baskets to cut the lead down to one, but Lillard had nine points during a game-sealing 12-4 run shortly afterward that staked the Bucks to a 119-109 lead with 1:19 remaining.
Los Angeles had won four of five coming in, including a 112-102 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
76ers hold Knicks to 73 points in defensively dominated win
Defence reigned supreme in New York's Madison Square Garden on Sunday, as the Philadelphia 76ers held the home-town Knicks to the lowest points total by any team in an NBA game this season in an ugly 79-73 win.
Both teams shot under 39 per cent in a game in which neither could find any sustained offensive momentum, and no player finished with more than New York's Jalen Brunson's 19 points. Brunson got there on a 6-of-22 shooting performance, while Kelly Oubre Jr. was 6 of 19 while leading Philadelphia with 18 points.
There were plenty of rebounds, however, due to all the clanged shots. Oubre had 10 and Tobias Harris 12 for the 76ers, while the Knicks got 11 boards from Josh Hart and 10 from Isaiah Hartenstein.
Oubre did manage 12 points during a first half in which the 76ers carried a 37-31 lead into the break, with the 68 combined points the lowest at half-time in any NBA game since the Portland Trail Blazers held a 34-31 edge over the Detroit Pistons on March 30, 2019.
New York did battle back to tie the game at 47-47 on Brunson's layup with 5:09 remaining in the third quarter, but Buddy Hield hit a pair of 3-pointers during a 14-5 spurt that put the Sixers up by a 61-52 count with 1:29 left in the period.
That would be enough for Philadelphia to hold on, as the Knicks shot 25 per cent while mustering a mere 16 points in the fourth quarter.
'One-game series' for LeBron as Lakers secure lifeline with Nuggets win
LeBron James says the Los Angeles Lakers face a "one-game series" against the Denver Nuggets after clinching a lifeline in their Western Conference first-round battle in Game 4.
The Lakers avoided a sweep with Saturday's 119-108 home win over the reigning NBA champions, halting an 11-game losing streak in head-to-head meetings with Denver.
James had 30 points while Anthony Davis added 25 points and 23 rebounds as Los Angeles finally saw out a lead to stay alive in the playoffs.
They now return to Denver for Game 5 on Monday, knowing no team has ever overturned a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.
James, however, is taking things one game at a time, saying: "Well, the only opportunity for us is just to play the next game.
"We've given ourselves another life. We've given ourselves another lifeline, and it's a one-game series for us.
"Monday's game is the most important game of the season for us, and we understand that and we know that, it's at that stage where if you lose, you're done. You win and you keep going."
Davis' 25 points came on 11 of 17 shooting, and he is averaging 30.5 points and 15.8 rebounds throughout a series in which he is often up against likely 2023-24 MVP Nikola Jokic.
Davis attracted scrutiny when he appeared to blame head coach Darvin Ham for the Lakers' defeat in Game 2, but James says he doesn't have anything to prove through the rest of the series.
"AD doesn't have to prove anything to anybody," James said. "He's one of the best bigs we have in the game, one of the best bigs in the world. He's showing that again through the first four games."
Davis, meanwhile, was relieved to see the Lakers produce through four quarters, having squandered a 20-point lead back in Game 2.
"We have a lot of confidence in our team," Davis said. "We've had the lead a lot this series.
"It's just been our second halves, actually our third quarters, where we haven't been able to execute at scoring the basketball. So our confidence was never lost at any point in the game."
NBA: Lakers avoid sweep to Nuggets; Celtics take 2-1 lead on Heat and Thunder go up 3-0
LeBron James scored 30 points and Anthony Davis added 25 and 23 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers avoided a sweep with a 119-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday in their Western Conference first-round series.
D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves each added 21 points to help the Lakers end an 11-game losing streak to the Nuggets, a stretch that included seven consecutive playoff losses.
The Lakers, who notched their first win over the Nuggets since December 2022, will try to stave off elimination again in Game 5 back in Denver on Monday.
Nikola Jokić had 33 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists for his 18th career playoff triple-double and second in this series.
Michael Porter Jr. added 27 points and 11 rebounds for the defending NBA champion Nuggets.
Los Angeles pushed its lead to 106-87 with six minutes remaining, but Denver whittled it down to six on Jokic’s three-point play with 1:25 to play. Reaves, though, hit a short jumper and added four free throws to seal the win.
Celtics roll over Heat
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led a balanced attack with 22 points apiece and the Boston Celtics led wire-to-wire in a 104-84 rout of the Miami Heat to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Game 4 is Monday in Miami, where the Celtics are 9-2 in their last 11 games and 6-1 in their last seven in the postseason.
Kristaps Porzingis added 18 points and Derrick White had 16 for top-seeded Boston, which reclaimed the home-court edge that it lost when Miami won Game 2.
The Celtics continued their bounce-back trend, improving to 15-4 in the games immediately following a loss this season with an average margin of victory in those games of 12.2 points.
Bam Adebayo scored 20 points and Nikola Jovic added 15 for the Heat, who are still without starters Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier due to injuries.
Thunder push Pelicans to brink of sweep
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder knocked down 17 3-pointers in a 106-85 win over the New Orleans Pelicans for a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.
Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey each scored 21 points and combined to go 7 for 11 from long range to help the top-seeded Thunder move a win away from the franchise’s first postseason sweep since eliminating Dallas in 2011-12.
Oklahoma City can complete the sweep in New Orleans in Game 4 on Monday night. No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit.
Brandon Ingram scored 19 points and CJ McCollum added 16 for the Pelicans, who continued to struggle offensively without injured star Zion Williamson. They were 9 for 32 from 3-point range and turned the ball over 21 times, leading to 23 Thunder points.
The Thunder took control with a 14-0 run in the second quarter for a 54-39 lead. They led 60-46 at halftime and maintained at least a 10-point advantage the rest of the way.
Doncic hails 'team player' Washington after Westbrook confrontation
Luka Doncic saluted "team player" P.J. Washington following his confrontation with Russell Westbrook during the Dallas Mavericks' victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Mavericks prevailed 101-90 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series, with Doncic falling just shy of a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Although, it was a feisty affair at the American Airlines Center, where Washington and Westbrook were both ejected after an altercation following the latter's foul and shove on Doncic.
The five-time NBA All-Star was grateful for Washington's support and intervention, paying tribute to his team-mate.
"The things he does, he's a team player," Doncic said. "He helps all of us. I'm just really happy we've got him on our team.
"I'm used to [getting subjected to extra physicality. I just try to stay calm and keep playing basketball."
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was also pleased by the togetherness demonstrated by his players with emotions running high.
"We're all competing for each inch to try to win," he said. "This series is going to be more mental as it goes on, just because of the physicality.
"It's very physical, but the mental aspect of this series, we have to be sharp and we have to understand what's taking place. I thought the guys did a great job of protecting one another."
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