NBA roundup: LeBron James pours in 47 points on 38th birthday
THE STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS
LeBron James celebrated his 38th birthday with a season-high 47 points to help the visiting Los Angeles Lakers close a 15-point deficit and beat the Atlanta Hawks 130-121 on Friday.
James had a season-high 18 field goals and was 4-for-6 on 3-point attempts. He added 10 rebounds and nine assists to just miss his first triple-double of the season. James had a 3-point and a three-point game in the fourth quarter after the Hawks reduced the lead to one point.
Los Angeles also received 19 points and a season-high 17 rebounds from Thomas Bryant, 14 points and 11 assists from Russell Westbrook, and 12 points and nine assists from Dennis Schroder. The Lakers were without Lonnie Walker IV (coccyx bruise).
Trae Young, who missed a game with a bruised left calf, returned and led the Hawks with 29 points while dishing out eight assists. Dejounte Murray added 20 points and nine assists, and Onyeka Okongwu had 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. It was Atlanta’s third straight loss.
Wizard 119, Magic 100
Kristaps Porzingis scored 30 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots, Monte Morris had 12 points and gave 10 assists, and Washington nearly led wire-to-wire against host Orlando.
Washington, who have won four straight games and five of six, went on a 16-2 run midway through the second quarter and never looked back. Kyle Kuzma finished the tournament with 23 points and Rui Hachimura added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Wizards.
Franz Wagner led the Magic with 28 points and eight assists, while Paolo Banchero added 21 points. The Magic has lost three times in a row.
Kings 126, Jazz 125
Kevin Huerter scored 15 of his team-best 30 points in the fourth quarter, including a game-winning 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds remaining to lead Sacramento past the Utah visit.
Lauri Markkanen led all scorers with 36 points for the Jazz, but his attempt to hit the buzzer missed. It was the third consecutive road loss for Utah.
Domantas Sabonis went off the field 12-for-12, scoring 28 points, catching 11 rebounds and dishing out eight assists for the Kings, who earned their second straight one-point win. De’Aaron Fox added 24 points.
bucks 123, timber wolves 114
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 43 points and 20 rebounds as Milwaukee broke a four-game losing streak with a win over the Minnesota visit.
Bobby Portis Jr. had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Joe Ingles recorded season-highs with 14 points and 10 assists for the Bucks, who were 11 behind at the half.
Minnesota lost its fifth straight game despite the efforts of Anthony Edwards, who had 30 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Luka Garza, Jaylen Nowell and Naz Reid each added 16 points.
Bulls 132, Pistons 118
Zach LaVine hit 18 of his season-best 43 points in the first quarter to win host Chicago over Detroit, who have lost 14 of their last 18 games.
LaVine made 15 of 20 shots from the floor, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range. He also sunk all eight attempts from the free throw line and dished out six assists. DeMar DeRozan had 22 points and Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls, who have won five of six games overall and 12 straight games against the Pistons.
Rookie Jaden Ivey had 22 points, Bojan Bogdanovic had 20 and Alec Burks added 19 from the bench for the Pistons, who were without Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo, who were suspended Wednesday for their role in a scuffle with the Orlando Magic.
Warrior 118, Trailblazer 112
Jordan Poole exploded for 41 points and teamed with Klay Thompson and Donte DiVincenzo for three 3-pointers in a game-ending 16-2 tournament that allowed Golden State to rally past Portland in San Francisco .
Thompson finished with 31 points after scoring seven 3-pointers for Golden State, which won at home for a fourth straight game in the past six days. Draymond Green recorded 10 points and 11 rebounds tying the game high, while Kevon Looney also snapped 11 boards as the Warriors took advantage of the absence of Portland big man Jusuf Nurkic, who was out with a non-COVID illness.
Damian Lillard scored a team-high 34 points on one of his homecomings in the San Francisco Bay Area. Anfernee Simons was returning from a scary fall to earn 22 points for Portland, who lost for the fourth time in their last five games.
Pelicans 127, 76er 116
CJ McCollum posted a season-high 42 points and set a franchise record and his own career high with 11 3-pointers as host New Orleans defeated Philadelphia.
McCollum made 13 of 20 field goal attempts, including 11 of 16 from long range, and Zion Williamson added 36 points as he shot 13 of 19 from the field and made 10 of 16 free throws. Willy Hernangomez scored 13 points as the Pelicans won their fifth straight game.
Joel Embiid had 37 points, James Harden had 20 points and 10 assists, Tobias Harris had 14 points and De’Anthony Melton added 11 to lead the Sixers.
Nuggets 124, Heat 119
Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season, and host Denver erased an eight-point deficit to beat Miami in the fourth quarter.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points in 7-on-7 shooting for the Nuggets, who won for the ninth time in 11 games. Bones Hyland had 16 points and Vlatko Cancar had 15 for Denver. Aaron Gordon (right shoulder strain), Jamal Murray (left knee management) and Bruce Brown (right ankle sprain) returned to the lineup after missing out on Denver’s loss Wednesday in Sacramento.
Tyler Herro finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat that ended a two-game winning streak. Bam Adebayo added 22 points, Max Strus 19 and Jimmy Butler 17.
Birds of Prey 113, Suns 104
Gary Trent Jr. scored 18 of his season-best 35 points in the third quarter and Toronto defeated the guest at Phoenix.
Pascal Siakam added 26 points and six assists for the Raptors, who ended a five-game losing streak at home by winning for the third time in their last 11 games overall. OG Anunoby contributed 16 points for the Raptors and Scottie Barnes scored 11.
Mikal Bridges scored 21 points for the Suns, who have lost five of their last six. Chris Paul added 20 points and 12 assists, Torrey Craig had 13 points and Duane Washington Jr. had 11 points.
– Field level media
