Joel Embiid "just wants to dominate" in every single game after he starred again for the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 76ers put the Detroit Pistons away with the minimum of fuss on Friday, winning 124-92.

Embiid, last season's NBA MVP, tallied up 35 points and added 13 rebounds as the Sixers recorded a second win over Detroit in the space of two days.

With that haul, Embiid became the first player to have 675 points and 200 rebounds across his first 20 games of a season since Wilt Chamberlain in the 1964-65 campaign.

"It's great to be in that class," Embiid said when that statistic was put to him after the game.

"I just want to dominate every single night."

Tyrese Maxey complimented Embiid with 19 points, and he said of his teammate: "He is getting better, which is scary.

"He made a layup today that I like to do where he made a Eurostep and laid it high off the glass. He's 7-foot-2 and he runs the floor at the same speed I do. It's scary."

Sixers coach Nick Nurse added: "You got to give our guys credit.

"They played hard and they made improvements defensively on the stuff we saw from the last game that we tried to work on the last couple days. Whoever hit the floor was out there trying to do the stuff we worked on and it paid off."

While Philadelphia have a quick turnaround as they face the Charlotte Hornets, the Pistons are licking their wounds after a franchise-record 22 straight losses.

Only four teams have lost more successive games in a single season.

"It's deflating," Detroit coach Monty Williams said. "It is what it is. It's a lot of repetitive games."

Victor Wembanyama vowed that the San Antonio Spurs will "keep working our a** off" after they ended their long wait for a win.

The Spurs overcame LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 129-115 on Friday.

That brought up just their fourth win of the season, and their first since November 2, ending an 18-game losing run.

"Kind of felt like a playoff game to me," No.1 draft pick Wembanyama said. "But, of course we have to feel good about it.

"We love that feeling. We want to repeat it, so yeah, we're going to keep working our a** off."

Wembanyama's teammate Zach Collins added: "We know we've been trending in the right direction, so nobody's shocked as far as the players go. 

"We just knew we had to catch a couple breaks, make some more shots. We knew our defense was getting better, so we feel good about it."

Wembanyama had 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Devin Vassell led the Spurs with a career-high 36 points.

James, who was missing from the Lakers starting lineup as Los Angeles defeated the Spurs on Wednesday, could not inspire Darvin Ham's team, who were without Anthony Davis.

"That's going to be challenging on us," James said when asked how the Lakers regroup for a home game against the New York Knicks on Monday.

"We've got to mentally and physically prepare ourselves. We've got to take care of our bodies. We've got to get our sleep. We've got to get our nutrition. We've got to hydrate.

"Whatever we've got to do to refuel, we've got to do, because the games are going to continue to come."

Jalen Brunson poured in a career-high 50 points and hit all nine of his 3-point attempts Friday in the New York Knicks’ 139-122 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Brunson was 17 of 23 from the field and 7 of 9 from the free-throw line with nine assists, six rebounds and five steals in 35-plus minutes.

He is the first player in franchise history to score 50 points while making all nine 3s.

Julius Randle had 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists to help New York snap a three-game road skid.

Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Devin Booker added 28 for the Suns, who lost guard Bradley Beal to an ankle injury in the first quarter.

Phoenix could be without a member of its All-Star trio for another extended period. Durant, Booker and Beal have played just one game together this season before Friday.

76ers extend Pistons’ losing streak to 22

Joel Embiid had another big game against the Detroit Pistons with 35 points and 13 rebounds on Friday and the Philadelphia 76ers sent the Detroit Pistons to their franchise-record 22nd straight loss, 124-92.

The Pistons, who lost at home to Philadelphia on Wednesday, surpassed the franchise record set at the end of the 1979-80 season and start of 1980-81. Detroit's slide is the sixth-longest single-season skid in NBA history.

The 76ers hold the overall losing streak record with 28 straight, set at the end of 2014-15 and start of 2015-16.

In three wins this season against the Pistons, Embiid has averaged 36.3 points and 13.3 rebounds. He is the first NBA player with at least 675 points and 200 rebounds in the first 20 games of a season since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964-65.

Philadelphia more than doubled Detroit in the second quarter, outscoring the Pistons 35-17 en route to a 61-39 lead at halftime.

James Wiseman had 20 points for Detroit, which dropped to 2-23.

Spurs beat Lakers to snap 18-game slide

Devin Vassell scored a career-high 36 points and Victor Wembanyama had 13 points and 15 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs beat the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers, 129-115 to end an 18-game losing streak.

The victory was the first for San Antonio since defeating Phoenix on Nov. 2 and snapped the longest losing streak in franchise history, topping a 16-game slide last season.

LeBron James returned after a one-game absence with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but the Lakers felt the loss of Anthony Davis, who sat out with a hip injury after he scored 37 points in a 122-119 win over the Spurs on Wednesday.

Los Angeles was also without starters D’Angelo Russell and Cam Reddish.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without two star players for the next several weeks after announcing significant injuries to point guard Darius Garland and forward Evan Mobley on Friday.

Garland suffered a fractured jaw after colliding with Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis on Thursday. Garland finished the game, but a scan on Friday confirmed the injury. The 2021-22 All-Star selection will undergo a procedure to repair his jaw and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Mobley has missed Cleveland’s last four games, listed on the injury report with left knee soreness. The Cavs announced Friday that the third-year big man will undergo arthroscopic surgery on the knee and will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks.

Garland and Mobley have combined to score nearly 37 points per game this season, and their absence will place an even greater offensive burden on the shoulders of Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus and Caris LeVert.

The loss of two core players is a massive blow for a team off to a middling start this season.

After a disappointing first-round play-off exit to end last season, the Cavs opened this campaign 4-6. The team appeared to find its footing over the next few weeks, rising above .500, but Cleveland has dropped its last three games and sits at 13-12.

Garland was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft and is averaging 20.7 points – second on the team behind Mitchell – and 5.9 assists this season.

Mobley was the third overall pick in 2021 and immediately made a splash as an All-Rookie selection. He is scoring 16.0 points per game this season and is averaging career highs with 10.5 rebounds, 1.67 blocks and 57.3-percent shooting from the field.

Mobley is the Cavs’ best defender, and he was an All-Defensive Team selection last season.

Daryl Morey helped guide the Philadelphia 76ers through the drama-filled sagas of Ben Simmons and James Harden, and he will continue to shepherd the organisation into the foreseeable future.

The Sixers announced Friday that they have extended Morey’s contract as team president of basketball operations through the 2027-28 season.

The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

In Morey’s three full seasons as the lead executive in Philadelphia, the 76ers have a .653 winning percentage, and last season’s 54-28 record was the franchise’s best since the 2000-01 campaign.

This season began with Harden demanding a trade and accusing Morey of dishonesty. Morey orchestrated Harden’s trade to the Los Angeles Clippers, and the 76ers are among the Eastern Conference leaders at 16-7 under new head coach Nick Nurse.

“Daryl is one of the best front office executives in sports and I greatly value his leadership,” managing partner Josh Harris said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to have reached an agreement to extend his contract and look forward to working together to maximize our chances of competing for an NBA title.”

The 2017-18 NBA Executive of the Year, Morey was the general manager of the Houston Rockets from 2007-2020.

In 17 seasons as a lead basketball executive, Morey’s teams have never had a losing season and have compiled a record of 810-489 (.624).

Despite his consistent success, a Morey-led team has never won an NBA title, and the 76ers have seen three consecutive second-round play-off exits.

“We are committed to bringing a championship to Philadelphia,” Morey said in a statement. “I love this franchise and the relationship my family and I have built with our fans and this city. There’s no place I’d rather continue this journey than here.”

James Harden had 28 points and 15 assists and Kawhi Leonard added 27 points to send the Los Angeles Clippers to their sixth straight victory, 121-113 over the slumping Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

Harden, who also had seven rebounds, became the 24th player in NBA history to score 25,000 points on a driving layup late in the third quarter.

Norman Powell scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Clippers, who played without Paul George but won for the 11th time in 14 games.

Klay Thompson scored a season-high 30 points with eight 3-pointers as Golden State went 0-3 on its road trip and has lost 12 of 16.

Reid, Towns lead Wolves past Mavericks

Naz Reid scored 19 of his season-high 27 points in the first half and the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame an early 15-point deficit in a 119-101 win over the Dallas Mavericks in a matchup of division leaders.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and a season-best 17 rebounds for the Wolves, who have won seven of eight to tie Boston for the NBA’s best record (18-5).

Luka Dončić tallied 39 points and 13 assists, but Dallas had a four-game winning streak stopped. He scored at least 30 points for the ninth consecutive game, averaging 35.1 during that span.

Celtics continue home dominance

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points and Jaylen Brown added 22 as the Boston Celtics remained unbeaten at home with a 116-107 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kristaps Porzingis had 18 points and Jrue Holiday contributed 14 to help the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics move to 12-0 at home this season.

The Cavaliers got 31 points from Donovan Mitchell and 26 from Caris LeVert in their third straight loss.

Boston’s lead was cut to three entering the fourth quarter, but Tatum sparked a quick spurt with a fadeaway and a 3-pointer to make it 101-91 with 8 ½ minutes left.

LeBron James has been tipped to play in London before heading to the Olympics with the United States as two warm-up games have been scheduled for the reigning gold medallists.

Los Angeles Lakers star James has hinted he wants to be part of the squad that heads to Paris looking to win a fifth successive men’s basketball gold – having not featured at an Olympics since London 2012.

The United States will face South Sudan on July 20 and Germany two days later with both games taking place at the O2 Arena as preparations ramp up for the Olympics.

Speaking to the PA news agency, seven-time NBA All-Star and 1996 gold medallist Grant Hill believes there is every chance James could make the trip to Europe despite missing the previous two Games.

“That’s definitely a possibility and we’re grateful with this programme that LeBron and Kevin Durant and plenty others have expressed a willingness and a desire to be a part of it,” he said.

“I think it speaks to the culture of USA Basketball. Many of these guys who have talked publicly had been a part of it in years past and are wanting to be a part of it again.

“Then you have some great players who haven’t been a part of USA basketball, haven’t played on the FIBA stage, who want to be a part of this. So that’s a really good thing.

“It’s a really positive thing – we’ve got the instruments, we got all these guys, so let’s put the pieces together.”

The US could win an unparalleled 17th men’s basketball gold having dominated the sport since it joined the Olympic programme in 1936.

Hill, though, believes there is added pressure with the expectation of being perennial champions.

“There are so many incredibly talented international teams,” he said.

“We have to respect our opponents. We have to respect how difficult this is but the heat is on in this pressure and that’s a good thing.

“You want that and the best of the best have become comfortable in those pressure situations because they know it means something and it’s something of value.”

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South Sudan have qualified for the men’s basketball for the first time and are the lowest-ranked nation to do so since 2004, while Germany are the reigning World Cup champions.

“These are not friendly matches, this is serious,” Hill said of the fixtures in London.

“When we play here in London next summer it is the start your preparation. Then the next thing you know you’re in Paris and so it’s just a small window to get yourself ready.

“So you need quality opponents, which we have, and there’s a sense of urgency every time we step on the court.”

:: Tickets to see USA Basketball play Germany and South Sudan at London’s O2 arena go on sale Friday December 15, 1pm at ticketek.com

Monty Williams wants to see more anger in the Detroit Pistons locker room after the team tied their franchise-record losing streak by suffering a 21st straight loss against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The NBA's worst team slumped to 2-22 with a 129-111 defeat at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday as reigning MVP Joel Embiid finished with 41 points for the Sixers, for whom Tobias Harris added 21.

The Pistons' 21st successive defeat saw them match the worst losing run in their history, which came between the end of the 1979-80 season and the start of 1980-81.

Their current run is also the sixth-longest single-season losing streak in NBA history, and things could get worse before they get better when they travel to Philadelphia for a rematch on Friday.

Detroit were on the back foot from the start as they were outscored 39-26 in the first quarter, leading head coach Williams to demand more aggression from his team.

"I don't want anyone to be happy in this situation," Williams said. 

"I want to see an ornery locker room that's tired, not just of losing, but tired of missing shots and tired of giving up 39-point quarters."

The record for the worst single-season losing streak in NBA history is held jointly by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Sixers, both of whom lost 26 games in a row. Philadelphia also hold the overall record of 28 successive losses, set between the end of 2014-15 and start of 2015-16.

Williams was also less-than-impressed with the Pistons being outrebounded 52-35 across the course of the game, adding: "Rebounding has been a point of emphasis for 24 games… even back in the preseason.

"We have to be able to be a team that can finish a play."

While Detroit are in a rut, center James Wiseman suggested there was little they could do to stop Embiid in his current form, with the Sixers star averaging 40.8 points over his last four games.

"We tried our best," Wiseman said. "I took on the challenge and tried to contain him. We didn't back down from him."

Anthony Davis was impressed by Victor Wembanyama after the Los Angeles Lakers almost surrendered a big lead before holding off the San Antonio Spurs, who were inspired by the French rookie sensation.

Despite a big night from Wembanyama, Davis scored 37 points, adding 10 rebounds and four steals, to secure the Lakers a 122-119 victory, extending the Spurs' franchise-record losing streak to 18.

Davis rolled his ankle in the opening seconds but stayed in the game and went on to shoot 10 for 15 from the field and score 24 points in the first half.

Taurean Prince had 17 points and Austin Reaves added 15 to help the Lakers win for the fifth time in six games despite missing LeBron James, who sat out the first of two straight games in San Antonio because of a left calf injury. The two teams will do battle again on Friday.

Wembanyama had 30 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks, but the Spurs have remained winless since Nov. 2. He became the first rookie with 30 points, 10 boards and six blocks in a game since Spurs superstar Tim Duncan in 1998.

"Obviously he is extremely talented," Davis said after the win, per the Los Angeles Times.

"He is a three-level scorer, as we have seen. It was fun playing against him. He is being talked about a lot, from his time overseas into summer league and then obviously now. 

"Obviously the team is struggling, but he is playing extremely well. He is able to keep them in games."

Lakers coach Darvin Ham added: "Wembanyama doesn’t stop competing. When the game was hanging in the balance, he made some big plays for them."

San Antonio outscored Los Angeles 45-30 in the final quarter to produce an exciting finish to the game. They trailed by 20 points early in the fourth but had reduced the deficit to 117-116 with 22 seconds remaining.

Ham knows the winners of the NBA Cup must become more ruthless.

"We got to add common sense to our talent," he said. "It's not so much about who we're playing, what their record is. 

"It's about us and the way we want to represent ourselves every time we step out on the floor: trying to get better, trying to build winning habits and be consistent at those winning habits. So, we are fortunate to get that W.

"Whenever you can get a win in this league against whoever, you have to be thankful. But that said, there's a lot of things we can take away that we know good damn well we need to get better at.

"Once the momentum got on their side, it seemed like they rolled it to the very end. But we hung in there. We gutted it out.

"Obviously, we are comfortable with the result, with the ‘W,’ but we’ve definitely got to get better at some things, and we will."

Playing without LeBron, the Lakers almost lost Davis too in the early stages, but he stayed in the game to produce a decisive performance.

"Giving my team a chance to win," he said. "I know when I’m on the floor playing, my team has a higher chance of winning than me being out because of my presence defensively and my presence offensively.

"We are trying to win basketball games. I was finding my shot. Of course, being more aggressive.

"But when my teammates are doing a good job, I think it’s easier for me to operate when guys are making their shots."

The Lakers are 15-10 and fifth in the Western Conference standings. This was just their fifth road win in 13 games this season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo suggested the Indiana Pacers may have taken the game ball that should have come his way after his 64-point haul on Wednesday.

The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Pacers 140-126, with Antetokounmpo recording a franchise record in the process.

He surpassed the previous record haul for a Buck, set by Michael Redd in 2006. Antetokounmpo's previous career high was 55, set against the Washington Wizards in January.

However, Antetokounmpo was angered when the Pacers apparently took the game ball and headed for the locker room, and a scuffle then broke out.

And the 29-year-old is unsure whether the ball he received was actually the one used in the game.

"I have no idea. I'm not going to lie, I have no idea – I really don't know," he said.

"I have a ball but I don’t know if it’s the game ball. It doesn't feel like the game ball to me – it feels like a brand new ball.

"I played 35 minutes, I know how the game ball felt. The ball I have, which I'll take and I'll give it to my mum for sure, doesn't [feel like the game ball].

"But it's okay, life will continue. I've never seen this before. I don't know if I have the game ball.

"I know they [the Pistons] had the game ball. I don't think [that], I know." 

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle claimed there had been a "misunderstanding" at the end of the game.

He said: "What happened after the game was unfortunate. There was a misunderstanding about the game ball.

"It was Oscar Tshiebwe's first official NBA point, so we always get the game ball. We were not thinking about Giannis' franchise record, so we grabbed the ball.

"A couple of minutes later, several of their players ended up in our hallway, and there was a big, I don't know what to call it – a fracas, melee, whatever. I don't think any punches were landed, but my general manager got elbowed in the ribs by one of their players."

Antetokounmpo added 14 rebounds, was 20 of 28 from the field in this one and went 24 of 32 on free throws.

"It's a great feeling. It’s a great feeling, being able to do it," Antetokounmpo said.

"As much as I can, I try to play basketball for the right reason, I try to play basketball to win, try to play basketball to help my teammates be great, but at the end of the day, being able to break this record in front of the fans here in this stadium, it's a great feeling, too."

Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said: "He's an unstoppable player. You can't guard him one-on-one. You've got some really good guys surrounding him, but at the end of the day, it's all him.

"His talent. His ability. His will. He has an incredible will to win, and he'll do whatever it takes to win. I'm just coaching the game and one of the coaches told me, 'Yeah, Giannis has 50. I had no idea.' But wow, what a great performance."

The NBA has suspended Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green indefinitely.

The league announced the suspension on Wednesday, saying Green "will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play."

The penalty comes less than 24 hours after Green was ejected for hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the Warriors' 119-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. The incident occurred in the third quarter when the two got tangled up, and Green struck Nurkic in the face. He received a Flagrant 2 foul on the play, and was promptly ejected for the 18th time in his career.

This marks Green's second suspension of the season after he was given a five-game ban by the NBA for putting Minnesota Timberwolves Rudy Gobert in a headlock on November 14.

Operations chief Joe Dumars said Green's "repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts" were considered in determining the severity of the penalty.

The suspension begins immediately.

LeBron James says watching his son Bronny make his college debut just five months after he suffered a cardiac arrest meant "everything" to him and his family.

Bronny James was found to have a congenital heart defect after suffering a cardiac arrest during a workout at the University of Southern California in July.

Having recently been cleared for full-contact practice, the 19-year-old made his debut for the Trojans on Sunday, collecting four points, three rebounds and two assists in an 84-79 overtime loss to Long Beach State.

After helping the Los Angeles Lakers win the inaugural NBA in-season tournament on Saturday, LeBron James returned home to take in his son's debut, later describing it as a special moment. 

"It was everything for my family," the NBA's all-time leading scorer said. "It was just an emotional, draining day, from the time we all woke up to the time the buzzer hit zeros.

"That moment was everything for us. To be there, to see the first person out of our family, out of the James gang, grace a college campus and a college floor… that was pretty cool.

"I think the most important thing, who cares about the win or the loss, the kid was standing tall and standing strong at the end of the game.

"That is a blessing in its own right, and that is a win. He's won at life, and everything else at this point is extra credit."

James senior was back on the court himself on Tuesday, with his 33-point haul not enough for the Lakers as they returned to regular-season action with a 127-125 road loss against the Dallas Mavericks. 

The Lakers have two more road games this week, facing the struggling San Antonio Spurs in a double header before returning home to take on the New York Knicks next Monday. 

Nikola Jokic accepted he "crossed the line" after being ejected from the Denver Nuggets' road win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, a decision which prompted boos from the opposing fans. 

Jokic was ejected with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter, but Reggie Jackson stepped up with a team-high 25 points as Denver rallied in his absence for a 114-106 win.

The two-time NBA MVP was tossed after yelling at official Mousa Dagher while asking for a foul call, with ESPN reporting that he told Dagher: "Call the foul, mother******". 

The pool report said Jokic was thrown out for "profane language that warranted an ejection", and while Jokic accepted he was in the wrong, he said other officials would not have called a technical for that offence.

"Sometimes it's not even a technical," Jokic said after the game. "I crossed the line, I understand, but sometimes that word doesn't cross the line. It is what it is."

Jokic's ejection led to boos from the Chicago crowd, and the Bulls were expecting a large contingent of Serbian fans to be in attendance on Jokic's only visit to United Center this regular season.

"It's the second-biggest Serbian population here," Jokic pointed out. "Belgrade is the first, and Chicago is the second. So, maybe they came to see me!"

While Denver coach Michael Malone was pleased to see Jokic's team-mates step up, he said the team must ensure that he stays in games for the duration.

"I think everybody was surprised it was a one-tech toss," Malone said. "Maybe I have to do a better job because if he's getting fouled or he thinks he's getting fouled, let me take the tech.  

"That's my job as a head coach because I don't want him being put in that position where he is getting thrown out. It's not good for him and more importantly it's not good for the team.

"We can talk about how great our bench was tonight, but in the big picture, we need Nikola available. He knows that, and we just have to work on how we engage and how we communicate with the referees."

Jokic was not the subject of the only high-profile ejection across the NBA on Tuesday, with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green tossed for the third time this season in a 119-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Green was ejected in the third quarter after receiving a Flagrant 2 foul for hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the face, with the incident coming less than a month after he was banned for five games for putting the Minnesota Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert in a headlock.

Green must now wait on a league review to discover whether he will face another suspension, and he apologised for catching Nurkic in the aftermath of Golden State's loss.

"I am not one to apologise for things I do, but I do apologise to Jusuf because I didn't intend to hit him," Green said. "I sell calls with my arms. I was selling the call, I swung and unfortunately I hit him."

While Suns coach Frank Vogel called Green's behaviour "reckless" and "dangerous", the 33-year-old insisted he didn't intend to strike Nurkic.

"If I intended to do that, then I would feel awful about not being there," Green added. "But my intentions were just to sell the foul.

"You guys have known me long enough, if I intended to do something, I am not apologising. But I did make contact with him, so I do apologise. It's a hard hit."

Tyronn Lue believes the Los Angeles Clippers are "trending in the right direction".

The Clippers overcame the Sacramento Kings 119-99 on Tuesday to make it five straight wins.

Lue's team have now won 10 of their last 13 games, since a six-game losing streak following James Harden's arrival in a big trade from the Philadelphia 76ers.

And Lue feels his team are starting to show just how much quality they have.

"The biggest thing for me is [the players are] just staying with it," Lue said.

"I think early on it was tough for us just trying to figure out how we wanted to play, trying to figure out rotations and all the different things and how James, Paul George, Kawhi [Leonard] and Russell [Westbrook] all play together.

"We still got a long way to go, but we're trending in the right direction. We're doing a lot of good things and we still just got to stay with it and continue to put in the work.

"It's just chemistry, playing together, getting clarity, knowing what to expect coming into games. I think that's what the biggest thing is.

"I know we had a rough start, but we’re just staying the course. I give our players credit just for every single day coming in, every shoot around, every practice, working to get better and trying to understand and find out how they can make each other better."

The Clippers did lose George to groin soreness, though they have Leonard in excellent form, as he took his points total over the last three games to 106.

"It's just chemistry, playing together, getting clarity, knowing what to expect coming into games," said Leonard.

"I think that's what the biggest thing is."

Luka Doncic said "everything hurts" after he battled through the pain to propel the Dallas Mavericks to victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

Doncic finished with 33 points and 17 assists as the Mavericks defeated LeBron James' Lakers – fresh from their in-season tournament victory last weekend – 127-125.

It marked the second win in as many nights for Dallas, though talisman Doncic had been listed as questionable following Monday's win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

"I don't know how I played," Doncic said.

"I slept very little today. Everything hurts. I'm getting old, man, but we got two back-to-back wins, which is amazing, especially against a team like the Lakers.

"So I'm really proud of these guys."

Speaking to TNT Sports, Doncic added: "You give your best, you want to stay on the court.

"This is an amazing team win, man. Back-to-back, we've got so many guys out, but everybody stepped up, everybody played hard."

Doncic also shared a moment with James, who also had 33 points, at the end of the game.

"It's amazing, the way he talks with me," Doncic said. "One of the best, it's a great relationship. I'm glad, coming from Slovenia, that I can play games like this against LeBron. It's special."

The Mavs needed Doncic to step up, with Kyrie Irving, Maxi Kleber, Josh Green and Derrick Jones Jr all out injured.

"Anytime you play a guy like Luka that's so talented, so good passing the ball, but obviously scores it as well, it makes it tough," Lakers guard Austin Reaves said.

"That's the challenge when you have a guy like that on the other team that you're trying to slow down."