DAVIS LEADS RALLY FROM 27 DOWN AS LAKERS BEAT MAVS 111-108

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer

DALLAS (AP) — Anthony Davis dunked a missed shot and screamed after giving the Los Angeles Lakers the lead for good with two minutes to go.

So much for the 27-point deficit in a showcase of stars that went from a laugher to a thriller with 13 fourthquarter lead changes. Davis had 30 points and 15 rebounds, LeBron James scored 26 and the Lakers completed their biggest rally in 21 years, beating the same team again in a 111108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks yesterday.

The fourth win in five games for LA came after trailing by 27 in the middle of the second quarter — the same deficit the Lakers faced at the start of the fourth at home against Dallas on December 6, 2002, before finishing a 30-point rally in a 105-103 victory.

Luka Doncic scored 26 points for the Mavs, but the youngest of the four superstars was limited and frustrated, largely by the defence of Jarred Vanderbilt, after a 14-point first quarter that sent Dallas on its way to the huge lead.

points and Tobias Harris had 19.

The late-game thriller proved worthy of a showdown between two of the top teams in the East. Boston, though, proved it’s still the team to beat.

HORNETS 108, HEAT 103

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Gordon Hayward scored 21 points, rookie centre Mark Williams posted career highs with 18 points and 20 rebounds and surging Charlotte beat Miami for its season-best fourth straight win.

LaMelo Ball had 16 of his 19 points in the second half and finished with 13 assists for his sixth straight double-double. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Dennis Smith Jr. each had 15 points off the bench for the Hornets.

Tyler Herro had 33 points on six 3-pointers and Jimmy Butler added 28 points as Miami lost its fourth straight. Kevin Love had 13 points and 13 rebounds in his second game since joining the Heat.

JAZZ 118, SPURS 102 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lauri Markkanen scored 27 points and recent signee Kris Dunn added 15 as Utah rallied from a 14-point deficit and beat struggling San Antonio.

Markkanen sealed the game with 14 points in the fourth quarter, and Walker Kessler recorded four of his five blocks in the final minutes.

Kessler added 12 rebounds and nine points.

Kevon Looney grabbed 13 rebounds for his fifth straight game with at least that many. He had been the first to do so in four consecutive games since Andrew Bogut in 2014.

Draymond Green had been listed as probable with a bruised right knee but didn’t play, leaving the defending champions down three starters with Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins also missing. Green is likely to return Sunday.

Curry, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, has sat out the past seven games with a left leg injury after getting hurt against Dallas February 4 in a collision while defending McKinley Wright IV as he drove to the basket. Wright’s knee hit Curry’s shin. An MRI exam showed partial tears to his superior tibiofibular ligament and interosseous membrane

Jeremy Sochan scored 22 points, Keldon Johnson had 18 and Zach Collins added 15 for the Spurs, who lost their 16th straight game.

KNICKS 128, PELICANS 106 NEW YORK (AP) — Julius Randle scored 28 points to lead New York to a rout of New Orleans as the Knicks celebrated the golden anniversary of their 1972-73 NBA championship team.

Six players scored in double figures for New York, which won its fifth straight. R.J. Barrett had 25 points and a seasonhigh seven assists. Jalen Brunson added 20 points, Josh Hart scored 15 points, Immanuel Quickley added 13, and Mitchell Robinson finished with a doubledouble of 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Brandon Ingram scored 19 points for the Pelicans, who lost their third straight and fourth in five games overall. Josh Richardson added 16 points, C.J. McCollum finished with 13 and Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Murphy III scored 11 off the bench.

PACERS 121, MAGIC 108 ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Myles Turner scored 24 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 15 points and 14 assists and Indiana ran away from Orlando in the second half. Indiana shot 59% in the second half and won for the fourth time in 21 games.

Bennedict Mathurin scored 19 points and Jordan Nwora had 18, both off the bench for the Pacers, while Jalen Smith added seven rebounds and five blocks.

Franz Wagner led Orlando with 21 points. Paolo Banchero scored 19 points and Markelle Fultz

18. The Magic struggled with their shooting, going 6 for 29 from 3-point range and finished the game at 38.9% overall.

RAPTORS 95, PISTONS 91

DETROIT (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 29 points and eight rebounds and Toronto extended its winning streak to four games with a win over Detroit.

Gary Trent Jr scored 19 points and Scottie Barnes added 12 as the Raptors won for the seventh time in eight games. Precious Achiuwa chipped in 10 points off the bench.

Detroit’s Marvin Bagley III had a season-high 21 points and 18 rebounds in his first game since fracturing his right hand on Jan. 2. Isaiah Livers, Hamidou Diallo and Bojan Bogdanovic had 11 points apiece for the Pistons, who lost their fourth straight.

Kyrie Irving had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas, but didn’t take over in the fourth quarter the way he did in his first victory with Doncic since the trade from Brooklyn — over lowly San Antonio. “We have to grow up if we want to win a championship,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “What the Lakers just showed us is it’s not the rabbit that wins; it’s the turtle. And they worked the game. And that’s what we have to get better at.”

HAWKS 129, NETS 127

ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young sank a buzzer-beating jumper over Spencer Dinwiddie to lift Atlanta over Brooklyn.

Young finished with 34 points for the Hawks, who recovered after blowing an 18-point lead to overcome four Nets scorers with at least 20 points. Cam Johnson had 27 points for Brooklyn, including a 3-pointer from the corner to tie it at 127 with 7.8 seconds remaining. Mikal Bridges scored 24 for the Nets, who have lost four of five. Cam Thomas added 22 points and Dinwiddie had 20.

BULLS 102, WIZARDS 82

CHICAGO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, Zach LaVine added 27 and Chicago overcame its shooting woes from long range to beat Washington. Alex Caruso and LaVine each sank 3-pointers midway through the third quarter to turn a one-point deficit into a 57-52 lead the Bulls wouldn’t relinquish. Before the consecutive 3s, the Bulls converted only one of their first 16 3-point attempts.

The Bulls won their second game in a row after losing six straight to close the first half of the season.

TIP-INS in his left leg. He also had a bruise. Rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr added 11 points with three 3s. The Warriors’ nine straight victories in the series marks their longest winning streak ever against Houston.

Rockets: Houston limited its first-half turnovers to four and committed just seven for the game to Golden State’s 19 that led to 24 Rockets points. ... Houston hasn’t beaten the Warriors since a 135-105 win on February 20, 2020, and has dropped five in a row on the Warriors’ home floor. ... The Rockets are 7-32 vs. the Western Conference, including 2-20 away from Houston.

HEALING PASTOR Longtime Warriors and 49ers team pastor Earl Smith is healing from being hit by an Uber driver while attending the All-Star Game in Utah. His left hand is in a soft cast and he’s wearing a walking boot on his right foot.

“I’m doing better,” Smith said by text to the AP. “I would appreciate all the positive prayers. Thank you.”

Warriors: Golden State missed scoring at least 122 points in a seventh straight home game. ... Wiggins missed his third straight game while dealing with a family matter. Kerr isn’t sure when Wiggins will return. ... The Warriors had scored at least 120 points in each of the previous three meetings with the Rockets. ... Golden State played its 13th set of back-to-backs.