NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James had 33 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in his 10th triple-double of the season, enjoying another memorable night at Madison Square Garden and leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 128-112 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday.
James improved to 23-8 at his favorite arena to visit, easily surpassing the 28 points per game he had been averaging in the building. He also became the seventh NBA player with 2,500 3-pointers. James made three of the Lakers’ 19, one off their season high.
Austin Reaves added 27 points and Rui Hachimura had 21 for the Lakers, who shot 58% from the field.
Josh Hart had 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in his seventh triple-double of the season, but the Knicks had their five-game winning streak snapped. Jalen Brunson added 17 points and Mikal Bridges had 16.
JAZZ 113, MAGIC 99
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Collin Sexton scored 22 points and John Collins added 19 to help Utah snap an eight-game losing streak with a victory over Orlando.
Sexton also dished out seven assists for the Jazz, who won at home for just the fourth time this season. Walker Kessler had 15 rebounds while Lauri Markkanen added 12 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks.
Franz Wagner led Orlando with 37 points, while making a career-high 18 free throws. Cole Anthony added 23 for the Magic, who have lost six straight away from home and eight of their last nine games overall.
Orlando cut a double-digit deficit to 39-35 early in the second quarter behind three straight baskets from Anthony, Paolo Banchero, and Jett Howard. Utah pulled away for good before halftime. Sexton drove for a pair of layups and made four free throws to fuel a 15-3 run that extended the Jazz lead to 54-38.
Utah led by double digits throughout the second half.
PACERS 132, HAWKS 127
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam made a key 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter and finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists to help Indiana beat reeling Atlanta.
Andrew Nembhard had 19 points for the Pacers, who have won three straight. Obi Toppin added 18 points and nine rebounds, and Tyrese Haliburton had 17 points and nine assists.
Trae Young scored 26 of his 34 points in the second half, leading the Hawks back from an early 18-point deficit to retake the lead midway through the third quarter. He also had 17 assists. Dyson Daniels finished with 23 points as Atlanta lost its eighth in a row.
Indiana looked as if it would run away early, but the Hawks steadily climbed back and retook the lead midway through the third. The teams traded leads throughout the fourth quarter, but Indiana seized control when Siakam’s 3 with 3:20 to go spurred an 11-3 run.
NUGGETS 107, HORNETS 104
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Nicola Jokic had 28 points, 17 assists and 13 rebounds for his 22nd triple-double of the season to help Denver beat Charlotte.
Christian Braun added 24 points and 11 rebounds, Jamal Murray scored 20 points and Michael Porter Jr. had 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Nuggets were coming off a 137-134 victory in Philadelphia on Friday night.
Miles Bridges had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte, and Mark Williams had 20 points and 15 rebounds. The Hornets have lost four straight.
Charlotte trailed by 17 in the first half and took its first lead at 104-100 with 51 seconds left on Bridges’ consecutive baskets.
NETS 110, ROCKETS 98
HOUSTON (AP) — Ziaire Williams had 21 points, D’Angelo Russell added 18 and Brooklyn won consecutive games for the first time since November with a victory over short-handed Houston.
The Nets, who beat Charlotte on Wednesday night, won two games in a row for the first time since a three-game winning streak from Nov. 24-27.
The Rockets were playing without Alperen Sengun, who missed a second straight game with a bruised calf, and lost Fred VanVleet to an ankle injury in the second quarter.
Brooklyn led by double digits for most of the night and used a big run early in the third quarter to push its advantage to 18 and cruise to the win.
Jalen Green had 29 to lead the Rockets, who lost a second straight after winning their previous four games.
THUNDER 144, KINGS 110
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Aaron Wiggins had a career-high 41 points and 14 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled past the Sacramento Kings 144-110 on Saturday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 29 points and nine assists for the Thunder, who set a season best for points and rebounds (70), including 14 by center Isaiah Hartenstein, 13 by Jayline Williams and 11 by Kenrich Williams.
Wiggins, starting in place of injured forward Jalen Williams, made 16 of 30 field goal attempts and shot 6 of 14 on 3-pointers. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Lu Dort had 20 points and eight rebounds for Oklahoma City, which scored 82 points in the first half to take control.
De’Aaron Fox had 20 points for the Kings. Malik Monk added 19 points and seven assists, and DeMar DeRozan scored 17.
WIZARDS 105, TIMBERWOLVES 103
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kyle Kuzma scored a season-high 31 points and Washington beat short-handed Minnesota to end a 16-game losing streak.
Jordan Poole scored 19 points, Bilal Coulibaly had 14 and Jonas Valanciunas added 13 points and 10 rebounds to help Washington win for the seventh time this season.
Washington, which led by seven with under four minutes to play, turned the ball over with 11 seconds left clinging to a two-point lead. But a 3-point try by Minnesota’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker rimmed out with three seconds left. Corey Kispert grabbed the rebound and the Wizards ended a 21-game road slide.
Jaden McDaniels led Minnesota with 23 points and 12 rebounds — his first career game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 16 rebounds, but Minnesota’s five-game winning streak ended.
HEAT 105, SPURS 103
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Bam Adebayo hit a 19-foot jumper as time expired to cap a 30-point, 13-rebound outing and give Miami a victory over San Antonio with Spurs star Victor Wembanyama sitting out because of an undisclosed illness.
Miami guard Terry Rozier added 19 points in his first game since being named in a federal investigation looking into unusual betting patterns surrounding his play in March 2023 while with the Charlotte Hornets. Nikola Jovic had 14 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 10.
Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 19 points and Devin Vassell had 18.
Wembanyama was ruled out 40 minutes prior to the game with an undisclosed illness. Selected to his first All-Star Game as a Western Conference reserve Thursday, he missed his sixth game this season.
Adebayo was 13 for 21 from the field and had nine defensive rebounds as Miami won for the third time in four games.
The Spurs will not play in San Antonio again until March 2 as they embark on their annual lengthy road trip as a livestock show and rodeo is held in the Frost Bank Center. The Spurs will host games in Austin on Feb. 20 and 21.
TRAIL BLAZERS 127, SUNS 108
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Deandre Ayton had 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting against his former team and Portland opened a two-game set against Phoenix Suns with a victory.
The teams will meet again Monday night in Portland.
Jerami Grant added 20 points for Portland, and Toumani Camara had 18 points.
Devin Booker led Phoenix with 37 points, and Kevin Durant had 22. The Suns were on the second night of a back-to-back after beating Golden State 130-105 on Friday.
After Portland took a 61-46 halftime lead, Booker was fouled on a 3-pointer on the first play after halftime, sparking a personal run of 15 straight Phoenix points. Durant’s 3-pointer — the first non-Booker points in the quarter for Phoenix — made it 74-64, but that was as close as the Suns got in the period.
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