NBA roundup: Luka Doncic’s birthday gift is a Lakers victory
Luka Doncic celebrated his 27th birthday with 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 129-101 rout of the Golden State Warriors on Saturday in San Francisco.
Los Angeles came into the Bay Area on a three-game losing skid but rebounded emphatically. The Lakers surrendered the game's first two points, then went on to score the next 10 en route to a lead they never relinquished.
LeBron James shot 4 of 6 from 3-point distance and 7 of 13 from the floor overall en route to 22 points. James also flirted with a triple-double, adding a game-high nine assists and seven rebounds.
Golden State had just one scorer with more than 12 points: Gui Santos, who finished with 14. Moses Moody scored all 12 of his points on 4-of-10 3-point shooting. De'Anthony Melton added 10 points and Al Horford scored eight points off the bench.
Hornets 109, Trail Blazers 93
Brandon Miller connected on six 3-point shots as part of his game-high 26 points as Charlotte beat visiting Portland.
Coby White, in his delayed Hornets home debut after a trade from Chicago and time off with an injury, racked up 20 points -- 10 in each half -- off the bench to help Charlotte win its fourth straight game. The Hornets effectively iced the game with a 10-0 run to build a 17-point fourth-quarter lead.
Jrue Holiday led the Trail Blazers with 25 points and Jerami Grant provided 21 points, reaching four consecutive games with 20-plus points for the first time this season.
Heat 115, Rockets 105
Bam Adebayo posted a double-double, and Andrew Wiggins ignited a fourth-quarter rally after returning from an in-game injury to lead Miami to a victory over visiting Houston.
Adebayo paired 24 points with 11 rebounds to help the Heat snap a two-game skid. Pelle Larsson (20 points) and Tyler Herro (18) contributed to the balanced scoring attack. But it was Wiggins, who took an elbow to the jaw from Rockets center Alperen Sengun and needed stitches in his cheek to close the gash, who led a critical fourth-quarter surge. Wiggins finished with 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
Kevin Durant scored a game-high 32 points and added eight assists for the Rockets. Amen Thompson (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Tari Eason (10 points, 11 boards) added double-doubles, while Reed Sheppard chipped in 14 points and five assists for Houston.
Raptors 134, Wizards 125
Immanuel Quickley had 27 points and 11 assists to propel visiting Toronto to a victory over Washington.
Brandon Ingram added 24 points and RJ Barrett chipped in 21 points for Toronto, which snapped a two-game skid. Jakob Poeltl totaled 18 points and 10 rebounds and Scottie Barnes scored 18 for the Raptors, who shot a sizzling 71.4% in the second half while scoring 73 points. Toronto shot 60% from the field for the game.
Will Riley's 19 points led the Wizards, followed by Bilal Coulibaly and Kyshawn George's 14 points apiece. Tristan Vukcevic added 13, while Bub Carrington and Justin Champagnie finished with 12 apiece. Washington made 16 of 34 3-point attempts but dropped its fourth straight, shooting 53.4% overall.
Pelicans 115, Jazz 105
Saddiq Bey scored 24 points and New Orleans beat host Utah for the second time in three nights.
Bey, who scored a season-high 42 points in the Pelicans' 129-118 victory on Thursday night, was joined in double figures by rookie Jeremiah Fears (18), who added a season-high 11 rebounds, Bryce McGowens (18 points), Herb Jones (17) and Jordan Poole (11) as New Orleans won its fourth consecutive game. Leading scorer Trey Murphy III missed his fifth consecutive game because of a right shoulder contusion, and second-leading scorer Zion Williamson had just four points in 11 minutes before leaving the game with a right ankle injury.
Isaiah Collier scored 21, Keyonte George (ankle) returned from a six-game absence to score 17, Elijah Harkless added 14, Ace Bailey had 13, Kyle Filipowski had 12 and Brice Sensabaugh 10 to lead the Jazz, who lost their fifth straight game.