Luka Doncic scored 31 points before being sidelined by an injury midway through the third quarter and the host Dallas Mavericks held on to hand the New Orleans Pelicans their 10th consecutive loss, 111-106 on Thursday night.
Doncic scored 21 points as the Mavericks took a 40-22 lead after one quarter. In the third, when he landed awkwardly after his shot was blocked by Brandon Ingram. After trying to play a bit longer, he went to the locker room with what the team called a right heel contusion.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 21 points, Josh Green added 15 and Dorian Finney-Smith had 13 for Dallas, which was outscored 52-30 after Doncic’s injury.
Ingram scored 26, CJ McCollum added 19, and Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Pelicans, who fell below .500 for the first time this season.
Bucks 106, Clippers 105
Giannis Antetokounmpo reached the 50-point mark for the third time since the start of January, leading Milwaukee to a comeback win over visiting Los Angeles.
Antetokounmpo shot 21-for-39 from the floor and grabbed 19 boards. Khris Middleton added 16 points off the bench for Milwaukee despite sitting out a majority of the fourth quarter. Newly named All-Star Jrue Holiday scored 12 points and dished out eight assists.
Norman Powell led the way for Los Angeles, scoring 26 points off the bench on 9-for-16 shooting. Kawhi Leonard added 17 with 11 boards, but he missed a shot at the buzzer that would have won the game.
Lakers 112, Pacers 111
Anthony Davis spoiled Indiana’s welcome-back party for Tyrese Haliburton, making the go-ahead basket to rally Los Angeles in Indianapolis.
Davis came through in the clutch for Los Angeles, scoring what proved to be the game-winning shot with 35.3 seconds remaining on a fadeaway for two of his game-high 31 points. He then blocked Haliburton at the rim on Indiana’s ensuing possession and secured the rebound on Buddy Hield’s missed jump-shot attempt just before the buzzer to cap a game-high, 14-rebound effort.
Haliburton — who hadn’t played since Jan. 11 with elbow and knee injuries — scored 26 points and dished 12 assists in his return to the Pacers’ lineup.
Nuggets 134, Warriors 117
Nikola Jokic recorded his league-leading 17th triple-double and host Denver used a 16-0 third-quarter burst to break a tie and pull away for a victory over short-handed Golden State.
Jokic put up 22 points to go with game highs in rebounds with 14 and assists with 16. Jamal Murray scored a game-high 33 points for the Nuggets, who won their second game in a row.
Stephen Curry had 28 points to pace the Warriors, who sat out Draymond Green and Klay Thompson on the second night of a back-to-back. Golden State completed a 1-2 trip.
Cavaliers 128, Grizzlies 113
Darius Garland had 32 points and 11 assists as Cleveland overcame star Donovan Mitchell’s third-quarter ejection to beat visiting Memphis.
Cedi Osman scored 21 points for Cleveland, which improved to 22-6 at home. Jarrett Allen contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Evan Mobley tallied 17 points and 14 rebounds. Mitchell and Memphis’ Dillon Brooks were both ejected following a tussle under the basket.
Memphis’ Desmond Bane scored 25 points, while Ja Morant added 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Santi Aldama had a career-high 21 points plus 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have lost six straight road games and seven of their past eight overall.
Bulls 114, Hornets 98
Ayo Dosunmu scored 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the field to boost Chicago past visiting Charlotte.
Reserve Coby White, playing against his home-state team, scored 20 points and Nikola Vucevic had 17 points and 12 rebounds as the Bulls avenged a road loss from a week earlier. Andre Drummond came off the bench for 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Terry Rozier scored 23 points, LaMelo Ball had a late surge to finish with 19 points and eight rebounds before he was ejected and Mason Plumlee supplied 16 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte. The Hornets, who lost their second straight game, shot 7-for-35 from 3-point range.
Knicks 106, Heat 104
RJ Barrett collected 30 points and eight rebounds and Julius Randle added 23 points and 10 boards as New York topped visiting Miami.
Randle, who scored 19 points in the first half on Thursday, was selected as an All-Star Game reserve before the contest. Quentin Grimes finished with 17 points for the Knicks, who played without Jalen Brunson (non-COVID illness).
The Heat’s Bam Adebayo, who also was selected as a reserve for the NBA’s All-Star Game, finished with 32 points and nine rebounds. Tyler Herro added 25 points.
–Field Level Media
