SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will miss a game at Utah on Saturday after spraining his left ankle against Phoenix in the opener of a two-game trip.
Doncic's absence leaves the Mavericks without their top two scorers.
It’s reasonable to think Chet Holmgren will be an NBA All-Star one day. He was a highly recruited high school player whose one year at Gonzaga was stellar enough for Oklahoma City to make him the No.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — If anyone needed any proof of how confident Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers are feeling, it came late in the second quarter of their game against the San Antonio Spurs.
George stole the ball from Zach Collins after a bad pass by Stanley Johnson, dribbled down the court and threw down a windmill dunk to give the Clippers a 20-point advantage.
PHOENIX (AP) — Luka Doncic's early injury on Thursday night gave the Dallas Mavericks a very valid reason to lose on the road.
Instead, Spencer Dinwiddie responded to the adversity with a season-high 36 points, Dorian Finney-Smith added 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Mavs held on for a 99-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
BOSTON (AP) — Julius Randle had 37 points and nine rebounds, and hit the free throws that gave the New York Knicks the lead for good in a 120-117 overtime victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
BOSTON (AP) — The Knicks are a young team that's still learning how to string together victories.
They're hoping to bottle several lessons from their latest outing.
Julius Randle had 37 points and nine rebounds, and hit the free throws that gave New York the lead for good in a 120-117 overtime win over the East-leading Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
NEW YORK (AP) — Saddiq Bey scored 25 points and the Detroit Pistons won in Brooklyn for the first time in nearly five years, beating the Nets 130-122 on Thursday night.
Alec Burks added 20 for the Pistons, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
HOUSTON (AP) — Darius Garland scored 26 points and Evan Mobley added 21 as the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the short-handed Houston Rockets 113-95 Thursday night despite missing Donovan Mitchell.
Garland, the fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft who turned 23 on Thursday, also had nine assists and four rebounds for the Cavs.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Terry Rozier scored 28 points, Mason Plumlee added yet another strong performance with 21 points and 12 rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Chicago Bulls 111-96 on Thursday night.
PHOENIX (AP) — Luka Doncic left the Dallas Mavericks' game against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night with a sprained left ankle.
The Mavericks said he would not return to the game.
Doncic played just three minutes before limping to the locker room during a timeout.
LeBron James is closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA career scoring record. And now, he has caught Abdul-Jabbar on another page of the All-Star record book.
James was announced Thursday as an NBA All-Star for the 19th time, the Los Angeles Lakers’ star tying Abdul-Jabbar for the most selections in league history.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Draymond Green dribbles the ball up court and takes charge of Golden State’s backups, directing two-way teammate Anthony Lamb on the wing, dishing the ball to Donte DiVincenzo or finding Jonathan Kuminga down low.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — No offense to the Utah Jazz, but Damian Lillard said scoring 60 points against them was fairly simple. Not easy, just simple.
Lillard had a season-high 60 points, hitting nine 3-pointers, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Jazz 134-124 on Wednesday night.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry threw his mouthpiece into the seats in frustration and got tossed himself for the surprising episode late in the game.
And the Golden State Warriors still pulled off a wild one against the nemesis Memphis Grizzlies.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are starting to get key pieces of their lineup back as he makes his push toward becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
Anthony Davis scored 21 points in his return from a right foot injury and Rui Hachimura added 12 in his Lakers debut as they bounced back from a rough loss to beat the San Antonio Spurs 113-104 on Wednesday night.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Damian Lillard scored a season-high 60 points, hitting nine 3-pointers, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Utah Jazz 134-124 on Wednesday night.
Lillard tied for second-most in the NBA this season.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram dribbled with his back to the basket near the baseline, then suddenly rose from the court in a spinning motion as he let fly a turnaround fade.
Twice, Ingram made shots like that in what was his first game in two months.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 26 points and 11 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors beat the Pacific Division-leading Sacramento Kings 113-95 on Wednesday night.
“I like him shooting all those perimeter shots,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of Siakam.
A look at LeBron James’ pursuit of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA’s scoring record. Abdul-Jabbar has held the record since April 5, 1984:
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves looked unfazed by the long-awaited return of one New Orleans' star players or the Pelicans' mounting urgency to win.
Anthony Edwards scored 37 points, Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and the Timberwolves spoiled Brandon Ingram’s return from a two-month absence with a 111-102 victory over New Orleans on Wednesday night.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Trae Young felt right at home in Oklahoma City against the Thunder.
The high-scoring Atlanta Hawks guard grew up in nearby Norman, Oklahoma, and played his one season of college ball at the University of Oklahoma.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — James Harden hit two 3-pointers and had a driving layup in the final four minutes against his former Brooklyn teammates and the Philadelphia 76ers stretched their winning streak to six games, outscoring the Nets 137-133 on Wednesday night.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ability to keep getting to the free-throw line assured the Milwaukee Bucks would outlast the short-handed Denver Nuggets.
Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 14 rebounds Wednesday night as the Bucks won 107-99 over the Nuggets, who were playing without two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and three other usual starters.
HOUSTON (AP) — Kyle Kuzma scored 20 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to help the Washington Wizards rally for a 108-103 victory over the Houston Rockets Wednesday night.
The Wizards trailed by as many 19 points and were down by 10 to open the fourth quarter before Kuzma took over.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero scored 23 points and Garry Harris made all six of his 3-point shots and added 22 points as the Orlando Magic held off a late rally to beat the Indiana Pacers 126-120 on Wednesday night.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura were both set to come off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
Coach Darvin Ham made the announcement during his pregame availability.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic won’t play for the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night at Milwaukee as he continues to recover from a tight left hamstring.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis will miss at least the next couple of weeks after spraining his right medial collateral ligament and right ankle in a 150-130 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday.
MONTREAL (AP) — For Olivier-Maxence Prosper, the lessons are not just for himself as he inches closer to a potential shot at his NBA dream.
They are also for the 20-year-old Montreal native to share with his 17-year-old sister, Cassandre, who is embarking on a path she hopes leads to the WNBA.